Google has suspended the purchase of carrier-paid apps in Pakistan via mobile phone owing to non-payment of outstanding dues, held after the central bank shut down the payment mechanism, the Ministry of Information Technology & Telecom (MoITT) confirmed Friday. The MoITT said it would be a temporary suspension.
The dreaded suspension comes in the face of repeated assurances by the Minister of IT, Aminul Haque. A day earlier, on Haque’s advice, the Ministry of Finance approved to release of blocked payments to international service providers, including Google.
During the suspension, users can only download paid apps on Google Play Store through credit card. “This issue will be resolved within two weeks,” the IT ministry officials said.