Blocking mobile phone services cannot stop us: Pakistani Taliban

Islamabad: The Pakistani Taliban on Friday ridiculed the government's move to suspend mobile phone services at select locations to prevent terror attacks, saying it would have no impact on on their activities. "We do not carry out bombings through mobile phones. The Taliban cannot be stopped by jamming mobile phone services," Ihsanullah Ihsan, spokesman of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, said.

"We would achieve our targets in any case, Ihsan was quoted as saying by the website of the Dawn newspaper. The militant spokesman gave his views hours after Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Islamabad that mobile services had been shut down across Karachi and Quetta and in parts of Islamabad as mobile SIMs had been used to trigger explosives in "90 per cent" of bomb attacks.

Malik announced that mobile services would be suspended in dozens of cities from Saturday till Sunday to prevent terror attacks on Shia processions organised to mark the Islamic month of Muharram. Malik claimed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Hakeemullah Mehsud was behind terror attacks.

Taliban spokesman claimed Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik was blocking cellular services for his own personal business interests.

"I challenge Hakeemullah, who says he is a Muslim and wants to bring in Shariah, to tell me where in Islam is it written that you should kill your brothers and sisters with bombs," Malik said. The Taliban spokesman, however, claimed Malik was blocking cellular services for "his own personal business interests".

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)