ISLAMABAD: In a bid to curb militancy and improve security, the Balochistan government has decided to suspend mobile data services in the province until August 31.
Government spokesman Shahid Rind confirmed on Friday that the suspension is a security measure prompted by the worsening security situation in the region.
This decision follows a notification issued by the Balochistan Home Department on August 6, which cites the “peculiar law and order situation” in the province as the reason for the suspension. The notification requests the authorities to suspend 3G and 4G services throughout Balochistan to prevent militants from using mobile networks for coordination and information-sharing.
In recent months, the security situation in Balochistan has deteriorated due to a rise in insurgent attacks. Militants, previously engaged in a low-level insurgency, have intensified their operations.
Reports indicate that nearly 62% of the country’s terrorism-related fatalities occurred in Balochistan in February alone.
Rind explained that mobile data services were being suspended because militants were using the network for coordination purposes. The move follows the government’s announcement last month banning pilgrims from traveling by road from Quetta to Iran and Iraq due to security concerns.
This is the latest in a series of steps to counter rising militancy in the province, which has seen an uptick in attacks, including the unprecedented hijacking of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express train in March, where over 400 passengers were taken hostage by terrorists. Security forces successfully neutralized the threat, rescuing the hostages and killing all 33 terrorists involved.
