SATURDAY NOVEMBER 24: Suspension of services: mobile company denied stay by LHC

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court here Friday denied stay to a leading mobile company against suspension of mobile service during Ashura on 9th and 10th of Moharram. The court remarked that the matter involved national security. Hence, the court could not issue a restraining order. The court, however, sought replies from federal government and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) by the next week.
Representing the company, Advocate Faisal Hussain Naqvi, argued that the PTA introduced a new SOP (standard operating procedure) on February 15, 2010 and decided that the mobile companies could be directed to suspend/close their services. The counsel also argued that the petitioner company on the directions of the respondents had suspended its services on different occasions in the current year. He said the company suffered a financial lose of Rs 95.76 million during those closures.
Naqvi stated the petitioner company had already told the government that it would not suspend cellular service wholly or partially except required by law and without prior agreement and payment of compensation by the PTA. He said the government was again preparing to direct a shutdown of mobile service in major cities on 9th and 10th Moharram. He argued that the service could only be shut if the President proclaimed an Emergency, but that too would be subject to payment of an appropriate compensation. The counsel therefore prayed to the court to issue a stay order against the suspension of the mobile service and also declared the SOP introduced by the PTA as illegal.