‘Cell-phone services can be suspended for security’

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad High Court (IHC) division bench Tuesday suspended a single bench order, declaring suspension of mobile phone services for security reasons as illegal.

The order was issued on Feb 26 by the IHC single bench comprising Justice Athar Minallah.

An additional secretary at the Ministry of Interior, Farah Hamid, submitted before the court that cellular services had always been suspended in the past for security reasons only after receiving directions in this regard. However, after issuance of the IHC single bench order, now it was not possible if suspension of cellular services is sought for security reasons.

After hearing the interior ministry arguments, the IHC division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani suspended the single bench order till the first week of May. However, the bench said that the suspension order was interim and would be vacated in the fist week of May unless the court issue directives in this regard.

The division bench was hearing an intra-court appeal (ICA) of the federal government, which challenged the single bench judgment.