Mobile phone services were temporarily suspended in parts of Peshawar on Thursday as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march approached the provincial capital.
The march, which began in Lakki Marwat on October 4, is scheduled to reach Peshawar on Thursday. The protesters, demanding the release of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, had reached Khyber district by Wednesday evening.
A Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) official confirmed that cellular services were suspended on the instructions of the federal Interior Ministry as a security precaution.
According to the official, the suspension was temporary and the ministry’s directives were communicated on Wednesday night.
There was no immediate statement from the provincial government regarding the suspension. Officials from the Home and Tribal Affairs Department and the provincial information ministry were also unavailable for comment.
Meanwhile, several major private schools in Peshawar remained closed on Thursday, while government schools, colleges and universities continued their regular activities.
A number of parents said they were unaware of the closures and only learned about them after taking their children to school, where they found the gates closed.
One private school issued a notice informing parents that the institution would remain closed due to the prevailing political situation in the city and would reopen on Friday.
However, officials of the Private Schools Regulatory Authority (PSRA) said no directive had been issued for private schools to close.
The authority directed private educational institutions to remain open and continue regular academic activities unless official instructions were issued.
The PSRA warned that schools operating without government authorisation could face disciplinary action under the relevant rules and regulations.
In a letter addressed to heads and administrators of private schools, the authority said some institutions had been closed by their managements in connection with the ongoing PTI long march without any notification from the regulator.
The authority instructed all private schools to remain open and ensure uninterrupted academic activities until further orders.
The PTI long march began from Lakki Marwat on October 4. Protesters travelled towards Kohat on the second day before reaching Mattani, on the outskirts of Peshawar, later that evening.
The party has been demanding the release of Imran Khan and has previously announced Islamabad as the march’s final destination.
PTI has yet to announce its detailed route and schedule for the march beyond October 8.
