Mobile internet services begin to restore in Quetta

QUETTA: Mobile internet services are gradually being restored in Balochistan’s capital Quetta after a two-week suspension, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The services had been suspended on August 6 due to security concerns.

The restoration comes following an order from the Balochistan High Court, which directed the government to resume mobile data services in response to a constitutional petition.

It is to be noted that Pakistan suspended cell phone data services for three weeks in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan in a bid to block communications among separatist insurgents behind a surge in recent attacks, an official and the government said.

Separatist militants demanding a bigger share of profits from the resources of the mineral-rich province have stepped up attacks in recent months, particularly on Pakistan’s military, which has launched an intelligence-based offensive against them.

In an order on Wednesday seen by Reuters, the government said the services would be suspended until the end of the month because of the law and order situation in the province, home to key Chinese Belt and Road projects.

“The service has been suspended because they (militants) use it for coordination and sharing information,” Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the provincial government, said on Friday.