QUETTA: Mobile internet service has begun to return in parts of Balochistan after a 16-day suspension that severely disrupted students, traders, and online food delivery services.
Food delivery riders said the shutdown caused heavy financial losses. Salman Ahmed, a delivery worker, said that online orders had dropped by 70 to 80 percent, forcing riders to bear major income losses. Another rider, Naveedullah, said, “Our livelihoods collapsed when internet service was cut. Our commission depends on online orders, but now they have fallen to only 20 to 30 percent. We demand the government restore service permanently.”
Earlier today, the Balochistan High Court heard petitions filed by citizens and rights groups against the shutdown. A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Bareech and Justice Sardar Ahmed Halimi ordered authorities to restore service within two hours.
During the hearing, PTA Director Jamil Ahmed informed the court that restoration was underway and service had returned in Quetta, Pishin, Dalbandin, Taftan, and Chaman. However, the Chief Justice remarked that service had yet to appear on his own mobile phone.
The bench warned that if service is not fully restored by August 25, contempt proceedings will be initiated against the PTA secretary. The court then adjourned the case until August 25.
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Authorities had suspended mobile data services across several districts of Balochistan 16 days earlier, citing security threats and political unrest. The move sparked strong protests from civil society, journalists, students, and online businesses, who demanded immediate restoration.
