Pakistan lawmakers alarmed as Balochistan district faces six more months without internet

Pakistan’s National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication has been told that internet services in Panjgur, a district in Pakistan’s southwestern province, will remain suspended for six more months due to security concerns.

Security agencies informed the Ministry of Interior that, because of the prevailing security and law-and-order situation, internet service in Panjgur must stay blocked.

The committee expressed concern on Monday, noting that the district has already faced an internet blackout for the past three years. Lawmakers said the shutdown has caused severe hardships for residents, especially students, businesses, and the local economy.

In response, the committee decided to hold an in-camera (closed-door) meeting, where the Interior Secretary will brief lawmakers in detail about the specific security situation that justifies the continued internet suspension.

Pullain Baloch, a National Assembly member from Panjgur, told the committee that his constituents must travel 15 to 20 kilometers to access the internet.

Speaking to Nukta, Baloch said, “I’ve been talking about this issue for almost one and a half years now. I have written letters to the prime minister and the army chief, and after all those efforts, we just received two sentences written on white paper today that there won’t be internet for the next six months.”

Baloch added that much smaller areas have cellular internet coverage, while Panjgur, with a population of over 1 million, has no reliable access.

“All the banks, businesses, government offices, schools, colleges, and madrassas are suffering because of internet unavailability,” he said.

He pointed out that even the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) is affected, with just over 7,000 women enrolled in Panjgur due to the lack of connectivity.

Baloch said Panjgur has five PTCL exchanges, but only one is connected to the main system, and it barely covers 10% of the population with outdated services. He noted that residents pay taxes on postpaid cellular company cards but do not receive internet services.

“If there are grave security concerns, the government can ban video and voice calls on internet apps,” Baloch suggested, calling for targeted restrictions instead of blanket shutdowns.

Sharmila Faruqi, another committee member, told Nukta, “There are a lot of issues in Balochistan. A member from Balochistan told the committee that there is even a hospital without the internet.”

She added that problems in Balochistan must be resolved properly to make people’s lives easier.

The committee directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman to conduct a survey of internet coverage in Panjgur and submit a detailed report.