The Federal Ministry of Interior has declined to disclose the reasons behind the shutdown of mobile and internet services on February 8, the day of Pakistan’s general elections, citing concerns related to national security.
According to a private news outlet, a request was submitted to the Pakistan Information Commission seeking an explanation for the disruption of services on Election Day. In response, the Interior Ministry classified the information under the Right to Information Act, asserting that the details could not be shared due to national security implications.
The Information Commission granted the ministry an exemption from disclosing the requested information.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) clarified that it follows directives from the federal government, confirming that the shutdown of services on Election Day was carried out based on orders from the Interior Ministry.
While the commission has yet to release a detailed ruling on the matter, the Ministry of Information has not commented on the classification of this information. The Interior Ministry maintains that revealing the specifics behind the service disruptions could compromise national security.
