Mobile Data Services Shut Down in Balochistan for Over Three Weeks Amid Security Concerns

Mobile data services remain suspended in Balochistan for over three weeks to disrupt militant communications, says provincial government.

Mobile data services in Balochistan have been suspended for more than three weeks to disrupt communication networks used by separatist insurgents amid a recent surge in attacks, officials confirmed on Friday. An official order issued on Wednesday, seen by Reuters, stated that the suspension will continue until the end of the month due to the prevailing law and order situation in the province, which hosts several key projects under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind said:

“The service has been suspended because they [militants] use it for coordination and sharing information.”

Officials reported that Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, has 8.5 million mobile subscribers among its 15 million residents, out of the country’s total population of 240 million.

Separatist groups, demanding a greater share of profits from the province’s rich natural resources, have stepped up their attacks in recent months, particularly targeting the military. In response, security forces have intensified intelligence-based operations to counter the insurgency.