Regional shutdown
Mobile Internet
Balochistan
Local authorities have suspended mobile Internet services in multiple areas of Balochistan amidst an ongoing military operation.
- Total Duration 195 days, 14 hours
Pakistan
- Population
- 247,504,495
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Not Free
Local impact
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman, Major General (Retd.) Hafiz Rahman, confirmed the shutdown on Friday, 15 November, during a Senate Committee on IT and Telecom meeting (see report), adding that the shutdown will be "temporary and that services will be restored as soon as the security situation improves."
The statement did not specify which areas will be impacted. There have been unverified reports of government orders to suspend mobile Internet in the province’s Gwadar, Kech, Khuzdar, and Panjgur districts since 11 November.
Political and human rights organizations in Balochistan have expressed concerns that Internet shutdowns aim to conceal state oppression and human rights abuses in the region. They also worry that this move is an attempt to suppress local voices that rely on the Internet to reach international communities.
News reports indicate that the service was restored for three hours on 2 April 2025, before being shutdown again: Internet services suspended in Quetta and other areas of Balochistan
Related documentation
No official cause document for the shutdown has been published.
Other supporting information
It’s difficult to measure the effect of local/regional Internet shutdowns as most measurements are done at a country level. Learn more
Social media
Why is the government resorting to internet shutdowns to address security concerns? This is a disproportionate response and undermines digital rights. #Balochistan #InternetShutdownhttps://t.co/uQlUkGiS0S— Zoya (@zoyaakhtar553) November 19, 2024
There was no coverage for military operations in Balochistan, no one knew that the Internet was blocked for several days, Balochistan is a perfect example of an "INFORMATION-BLACKHOLE" https://t.co/U15pKAZKGY— The Internationalist (of the Dark Side) 🇵🇸 (@I__Pashtun) November 18, 2024
This isn't just a security measure—it's an attack on our voice.Shutting down #Balochistan's internet is a deliberate attempt to suppress our truth and isolate us from the world.We must resist, now. #BalochistanIsNotPakistan pic.twitter.com/vtVpzcakjz— Tanya sirohi (@tanyasirohi01) November 17, 2024
Since much of Balochistan already lacks access to #internet and mobile data services, the shutting down of data services in major regions appears to be an attempt to censor information about #humanrights violations by state authorities in #Balochistan. pic.twitter.com/bqG9HlX5Pp— Aneesa Tareen (@TareenAneesa) November 16, 2024