On August 21, mobile internet services were restored in several districts of Balochistan after the provincial high court ordered authorities to end a 16-day shutdown.
The directive was issued by a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Barrech and Justice Sardar Ahmed Halimi while hearing a petition filed by Balochistan Consumer Civil Society Chairman Khair Muhammad Shaheen. The petition challenged the suspension of mobile data services and public transport in the province.
Officials from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Balochistan Home Department appeared before the court. The bench expressed dissatisfaction over their failure to comply with earlier directions and cautioned that contempt proceedings could be initiated. The judges rejected a request for additional time and instructed that services be restored within two hours.
After a recess, PTA and Home Department representatives informed the court that connectivity had resumed in Quetta, Pishin, Chaman and Taftan. They said the remaining districts would be reconnected gradually. The petitioner, however, noted that Qila Abdullah had only partial restoration despite the absence of major security concerns.
The bench adjourned the case until August 25. Chief Justice Barrech warned that if services were not fully restored by then, the PTA secretary would face contempt of court proceedings.
Speaking outside the court, Shaheen welcomed the order, describing the restoration of services in several districts as a positive step. He voiced hope that mobile internet would soon be accessible throughout the province.
The suspension of mobile data in Balochistan had earlier been announced until August 31 on security grounds. In his petition, Shaheen argued that the shutdown violated fundamental rights under Articles 9, 15, 18, 19-A and 25 of the Constitution. He stressed that mobile phone services were essential for businesses, students and educational institutions.
Mobile and internet services in multiple districts of the province were also suspended in November last year after a surge in militant attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
