Balochistan High Court (BHC) admitted to having heard a petition that challenged the suspension of mobile phone and internet services in the province.
Authorities had suspended mobile Internet services in Balochistan’s most districts, including the provincial capital Quetta, on August 6, with reference to security concerns, which are expected to continue until August 31.
The petition was filed by Balochistan’s consumer civil society and argued that the disruption has affected online education severely, prevented business activities and created communication difficulties for travelers.
The court accepted the petition for consultation while accepting the messages to the provincial home department and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which calls their representatives on August 15.
The shutdown has disturbed communication, education, business transactions and daily life and drawn increasing criticism from the public, business and political representatives.
The disturbance has left students who are unable to participate in online classes or prepare for competitive studies, paralyzed e-commerce operations and cut off digital services used for financial transactions.
Media workers, government employees and ordinary citizens have also not been able to use popular apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook for communication.
Many residents have expressed frustration over the lack of a detailed explanation from the federal or provincial governments or PTA, The news reported.
Business leaders, including Abdul Rahim Kakar, President of Central Anjuman Tajiran Balochistan (registered), along with Hazrat Ali Achakzai, Mir Yaseen Mengal and others warned that Blackout creates daily losses in millions of rupees.
They said that traders, business and private entrepreneurs depend on online platforms face an unprecedented difficulty.
Jamat Disadvantage Under-Islam-Fazl (Jui-F) Senator and Senior Attorney Kamran Murtaza presented a proposal in the Senate for debate on the Internet that called it a question of urgent public importance.
