ISLAMABAD: An unannounced and unexpected suspension of mobile phone service in different parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi from around 12 noon to 2pm on Friday annoyed the residents of the twin cities.

A large number of people 1(ept asking each other if the service was suspended because of some security risk or any special event.

However, an official of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on the condition of anonymity told Dawn that instructions were received from the Ministry of Interior to suspend the service in Sector G-6 and G-7.

`Because of the spillover of signals, the service also got disrupted in different parts of the federal capital and even Rawalpindi,` he said.

It was not the first time that the mobile service was blocked in the federal capital on Friday. On November 27 (Friday), the residents of Sector G-6 and G-7 also faced the suspension of the service at noon.

Though there was no official announcement and confirmation, rumours spread in the capital that the service was suspended to stop Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz from delivering his Friday sermon via phone from his residence in G-7. The mosque is located in the G-6 sector.

On Friday, people faced connectivity problem from noon to around 2pm.

Salman Ahmed, a barber in Khayaban-i-Sir Syed Rawalpindi, told Dawn that as the citizens were used to face mobile service suspension on special occasions, they were asking if there was any important event on Friday.

`One of the customers said if it was the chehlum of Imam Hussain because last year there was tension on the occasion of the chehlum in Rawalpindi and mobile phone service was suspended,` he said.

`Another customer asked if the mobile service was suspended because of any procession taken out in connection with the start of Rabiul Awal.` Maqbool Ahmed, a resident of Sector I-10, said he drops his son at a school in I-8 in the morning and picks him in the afternoon.

`In the morning, I told my wife that I had some engagements and may not be able to pick him from the school. But I also told her that we would finalise the plan on phone,` he said.

`Because of the suspension of the mobile phone service, we could not communicate with each other and both of us rushed to the school.

He said in case of any plan to suspend the mobile phone service, the departments concerned should inform the citizens in advance. An official of a cellular company, who was not authorised to speak to the press on record, confirmed to Dawn that the cellular company had received instructions from the PTA to suspend service from 12 noon to 2pm.

`We have to follow the instructions so we just suspended the service and resumed it at 2pm.` he said.

An official of the PTA, requesting anonymity, told Dawn that the ministry of interior had instructed the authority to suspend the mobile phone service.

`We got the instructions to suspend the service in sectors G-6 and G-7 and asked the companies to follow it. Though we do not know the reason for the suspension of service, it can be related to the Lal Masjid because on November 27 we also had got similar instructions from the ministry,` he said.

In reply to a question, he said sometimes the service is suspended in a particular locality but it is also affected in nearby areas. `We call it the spillover effect and it happens sometimes.

We can only regret for the inconvenience caused to the citizens,` he said.

An official of Ministry of Interior said the decision was taken because of some security reason.