August 11, 2026
By Hafiz Ullah Storai Sherani
ISLAMABAD
The mobile internet situation in Balochistan remains critical, with service suspended across several key districts for extended periods. Following recent security developments, additional restrictions were imposed in multiple areas including Quetta, though service was restored in the Pashtun belt today.
Mobile internet in Quetta has been shut down since August 9 and 10, with phone call signals also temporarily suspended for a day. Prior to this, following an attack by a banned Baloch armed group in Quetta on January 31, mobile internet was cut at 9:00 AM and restored a week later.
In Panjgur district, mobile internet has been continuously shut down since 2022, except for a brief 10-day restoration in September 2025. In Mastung district, mobile internet has been unavailable for the past three years.
In Sibi, internet service remained suspended for nearly a year. After that full year, it was restored for three months, only to be suspended again for another three months following the January 31 attacks. It was temporarily restored for 25 days recently, but has been cut once more.
A local journalist, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated: “In Khuzdar, service has been suspended for 2 and a half years, and in Qalat, for the past 1 and a half years.”
Meanwhile, in Hub and Lasbela, the internet was only shut down on August 9 and 10 following the January 31 incident.
Even in Baiker and Dera Bugti, the home area of Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, mobile internet has been down for nearly two years.
A local journalist from Turbat reported: “Landline (PTCL) internet is usually available in Turbat city, but it has been down for the last three days. In Tump, service has been suspended for seven years, and in other parts of Kech, for six months.”
The journalist added: “In areas near the border, Iranian internet works, and locals rely on Iranian SIM cards.”
On the other hand, in the Pashtun belt—following temporary suspensions on January 31 and August 9–10—mobile internet was restored on August 11 across Zhob, Ziarat, Loralai, Harnai, Killa Saifullah, Sherani, Musakhel, Pishin, Chaman, and Killa Abdullah.
Local journalists note that while internet access is somewhat functional in urban centers of these districts, it remains practically non-existent or extremely weak in mountainous areas.
Babar Yousafzai, Special Assistant to the Home Department, told media outlets: “The internet was suspended due to security concerns.”
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti has repeatedly stated during press conferences: “Terrorists misuse mobile internet to coordinate and carry out attacks, which is why it is being kept suspended.”
Mounting impact on daily life
The prolonged shutdown across Balochistan’s districts has thrown daily life into disarray. Renowned journalist Ali Raza shared his perspective with Voicepk.
“The government imposed blackout does not seem to be making a difference on the ground. Internet has been shut down in many areas for years, and along the Quetta–Taftan and Quetta–Karachi highways, it is almost permanently off” he said. “Yet, vehicles are still being torched on these highways, people are being kidnapped, and attacks continue—violence is actually rising. This proves that shutting down the internet solves nothing.”
Raza added, “The victims here are ordinary citizens, students, business owners, and journalists—every segment of society is impacted. People have been stripped of a cheap, fast mode of communication. Everyone relies on WhatsApp now; no one checks SMS anymore. E-commerce and online businesses have completely collapsed. In far-flung areas like Faisal Colony in Dalbandin, there is no PTCL coverage, so people can’t even install Wi-Fi. Shutting down the internet isn’t fixing the problem, and it’s unclear what alternative plan the government even has.”
Internet suspensions in Azad Kashmir
Similarly, in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), internet services have been continuously suspended since the first week of June, with brief restorations in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur divisions followed by renewed shutdowns.
Riffat (name changed), a student from Chakar (Hattian Bala district) currently studying in Islamabad, shared her ordeal with Voicepk:
“There is no internet at all, and we are entering the third month of this blackout. Once you cross Kohala, internet service completely drops, and making a regular phone call becomes extremely difficult. After my father passed away, I haven’t been able to talk properly with my brothers and sisters-in-law. To make a call, you have to stand in specific spots where signals randomly pick up. The lack of connectivity causes immense distress who do we even complain to about our plight?”
Muhammad Faizan, an Islamabad-based journalist from Kashmir working with a private television channel, analyzed the situation in AJK.
“Due to the absence of an active, fully functioning government or interim setup in Azad Kashmir, there is a severe political and administrative vacuum. Consequently, there is no official spokesperson to address public grievances. At the federal level, Federal Minister Amir Muqam and relevant officials oversee Kashmir Affairs, so the media must seek an official response directly from them.”
“Because of the internet blackout, immediate fact-checking of local incidents and video footage has become impossible, fueling the risk of widespread rumors. Additionally, the large Kashmiri diaspora living abroad has been unable to check on their families for two months due to the WhatsApp ban, while slow local cellular networks make even simple voice calls frustratingly hard.”
Reaches were made via phone call and WhatsApp to the head of the Kashmir Affairs Committee, Amir Muqam, and his Personal Secretary for an official statement, but no response was received prior to the publication of this story.