QUETTA: Authorities in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province ordered the suspension of 3G and 4G mobile Internet services across Quetta district on Thursday, citing “peculiar law and order” concerns and unspecified threats, according to an official notification.
The order, issued by the provincial home department, directs the suspension of all mobile data services for 24 hours on Oct. 31, from 00:00 to 24:00 hours, across the entire district.
It said the decision was taken to address a “threat perception” without providing details about the nature of the risk.
“Owing to the peculiar law and order situation and threat perceptions, the services of 3G and 4G services are required to be jammed in District Quetta,” the notification said.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but poorest province, has long been plagued by an insurgency that has intensified in recent months, with separatist militants increasingly targeting security personnel, government officials, infrastructure and non-local residents.
The province is strategically significant for its vast mineral wealth and as a transit hub for the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) demanding independence while accusing the central government of exploiting local resources, a charge Islamabad denies.
The provincial capital of Quetta has also witnessed deadly militant attacks in the past, with a major explosion near the paramilitary Frontier Corps headquarters killing at least 10 people and injuring around 30 last month.
The notification, marked “most immediate,” was addressed to the interior ministry in Islamabad and copied to top provincial and federal officials, including the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), police and district administration for implementation.
The mobile phone suspension comes a day after Balochistan Chief Minister Sardar Sarfaraz Bugti announced new capacity-building measures for the police and said more than 500 militants had been killed this year in the province amid escalating violence.
He said the government was consolidating specialized counterterrorism and rapid-response units under a unified police structure, while members of the paramilitary Levies Force who opted not to transfer to the police would be offered voluntary retirement with benefits.
Bugti also said the province was working to revive police morale through revised pay packages and new welfare measures for the families of officers killed in the line of duty.
