ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan has approved the deployment of the Army and Civil Armed Forces (CAF) nationwide as a security measure during Muharram.
According to a notification issued by the interior ministry, the government has sought the deployment of the military to maintain law and order throughout the month, effective since Sunday.
Details of troop placements, to be coordinated with Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad, will be finalized soon.
The notification specifies that the deployment duration will be determined after consultations with all stakeholders.
Meanwhile, provincial governments, including Punjab, have urged the federal government to suspend social media platforms for a week to curb the dissemination of inflammatory content online.
In a meeting of the Cabinet Standing Committee on Law and Order, based on a letter from the provincial home department, it was decided to suspend Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram from the 6th to the 11th of Muharram.
However, the federal government has not yet decided on suspending internet services during this period, according to a Ministry of Interior spokesperson’s statement from the previous day.
