Pakistan internet ban: Pakistan authorities on Friday said they have suspended mobile data services in Balochistan province until August 31 due to unspecified security reasons. An official from the state-run Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told Geo News that mobile data services were suspended at the “request” of the Balochistan government.
A notification from the Balochistan Home Department on August 6 ordered the immediate suspension of data services until August 31 in view of the law and order situation in the province. Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind confirmed the notification.
Pakistan celebrates its independence on August 14, and officials fear that terrorists may try to sabotage festivities by carrying out attacks.
Why did Pakistan government ban internet in Balochistan?
Balochistan has been in the grip of violence perpetratedby Baloch nationalists who blame the federal government for robbing the province of its rich minerals, a charge rejected by the central government. The nationalists have repeatedly attacked security forces and other targets, and the officials believe that they use internet services to coordinate and communicate.
Separatist militants demanding a bigger share of profits from the resources of the mineral-rich province have stepped up attacks in recent months, particularly on Pakistan’s military, which has launched an intelligence-based offensive against them.
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In an order on Wednesday seen by news agency Reuters, the government said the services would be suspended until the end of the month because of the law and order situation in the province, home to key Chinese Belt and Road projects. “The service has been suspended because they (militants) use it for coordination and sharing information,” Rind said.
How many cell phones will be impacted by internet ban in Balochistan?
Pakistani officials said there are 8.5 million cell phone subscribers in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by size, which borders Afghanistan and Iran. But it is thinly populated, with just 15 million from a national population of 240 million.
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The news follows Pakistan’s ban on road travel to Iran late last month, citing security threats. The insurgency by the separatists, who accuse Pakistan’s government of depriving them of their share in regional resources, has roiled the province for decades. They primarily attack the Pakistani military or Chinese nationals and their interests, but have recently started targeting senior army officers.
Why is Balochistan prone to terror attacks?
The military said an officer and two soldiers were killed in a roadside blast set off by the militants on Tuesday. The attack targeting a vehicle was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the strongest of the area’s insurgent groups, which has also claimed responsibility for several attacks on senior officers in recent weeks.
The region is home to the Gwadar Port, built by Beijing as part of a $65-billion investment in Pakistan in the Belt and Road programme designed to expand China’s global reach. Islamabad accuses India of funding and backing the insurgents in a bid to stoke instability, as Pakistan seeks international investments in the region, a charge New Delhi denied on multiple occasions. In fact, India always maintained that a stable Pakistan is in favour of New Delhi. In March, the BLA blew up a railway track and took hostage more than 400 train passengers in an attack that killed 31, including 23 soldiers.
(With inputs from PTI and Reuters)