QUETTA; The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Wednesday directed Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan and Balochistan Advocate General (AG) Adnan Basharat to submit their replies regarding the ongoing internet shutdown in the province.
Last week, authorities announced that mobile data services would remain suspended until August 31, citing “security reasons.” At the same time, internet services were also reported to be inactive, prompting concern from former Balochistan Chief Minister Dr. Abdul Malik, who noted on Saturday that the province had been without internet for over a month amid law and order challenges.
A notification from the Balochistan Home Department dated August 6 attributed the suspension to the “peculiar law and order situation” in the province.
The move was challenged through a constitutional petition filed by Khair Muhammad Shaheen, chairman of Balochistan’s Consumer Civil Society, against the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The petition was heard today by a two-member BHC bench comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Barrech and Justice Sardar Ahmad Haleemi.
According to the court order, Shaheen argued that mobile phones are a fundamental means of communication for businessmen, students, educational institutions, and the public, yet the government had suspended both mobile and internet services across the province “without any plausible justification.” He added that the shutdown was adversely affecting children’s education and business activities.
The petition further claimed that the indefinite suspension violated several fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution, including Articles 9 (security of person), 15 (freedom of movement), 18 (freedom of trade, business, and profession), 19-A (right to information), and 25 (equality of citizens). It also highlighted that inter-district and inter-provincial bus services had been halted, causing widespread public hardship.
“The contentions so raised require consideration,” the court noted, directing notices to AGP Awan and AG Basharat to file their responses before the next hearing on Friday. The bench added that if the officials failed to respond, the secretaries of the Interior and Information Technology ministries would be required to appear in person.
Last November, the PTA had suspended internet and mobile services in several districts of Balochistan, citing security concerns following terrorist attacks in the province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
