Mobile internet services suspended again in Balochistan

QUETTA: Mobile internet services have been suspended again in Balochistan, including the provincial capital Quetta, on Saturday.

The services were resumed last week on the directives of the Balochistan High Court (BHC) after being suspended for three weeks.

Sources in the Balochistan Home Department said that the suspension has been reimposed owing to security issues.

The outage has brought major inconvenience to users, especially students and individuals involved in online business and services, especially in a time when the majority of smartphone users use WhatsApp for calls and connectivity.

There are 8.5 million cell phone subscribers in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province in terms of area, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran. But it is sparsely populated, with only 15 million out of a national population of 240 million.

Earlier this Month, the Mobile internet data service was suspended across Balochistan, including Quetta, due to security concerns.

According to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority officials, mobile internet service has been suspended indefinitely in various districts of Balochistan, including Kohlu, Chaman, Qila Abdullah, Pishin, Loralai, Ziarat, Qila Saifullah, Noshki, and Harnai.

PTA said suspension is part of precautionary efforts to prevent potential security breaches and maintain public safety across the southwestern region.