ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided against immediately suspending mobile and internet services over the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march.
Officials cited the difficulties an early shutdown would cause the public and told the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to wait for explicit orders from the Ministry of Interior before taking action on service suspensions. A request from the Punjab government to suspend internet access formed part of the discussions.
Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry attended the meeting with senior officials. Participants reviewed security preparations alongside legal and political options for handling the protest.
They discussed keeping negotiations with PTI open, drawing on the approach taken with Jamaat-e-Islami. Officials also agreed to hold regular meetings to review law and order.
Read: Islamabad Faces Sept 26–27 Mobile, Internet Shutdown: Report
Separately, PTI leaders proposed postponing the march to October 5–10 during discussions in Peshawar; most participants favoured that period.
Party members proposed an all-parties conference between October 6 and 10 and urged faster engagement with opposition parties.
Participants discussed contacts with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). They reviewed the performance of PTI’s provincial organisations in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan.
Other proposals concerned a possible hospital transfer for PTI founder Imran Khan and concessions for Bushra Bibi.
