The Balochistan High Court directed on Thursday the provincial government to immediately restore mobile internet services in areas without security threats and withdraw its notification imposing ban on public transport.
A notification, issued on August 6, of the Balochistan Home Department stated that mobile data services have been suspended across all 36 districts of Balochistan over “security reasons” until August 31. The ban was imposed ahead of Pakistan’s Independence Day, celebrated on 14th August.
The internet shutdown was challenged by Khair Muhammad Shaheen, the chairperson of the Balochistan’s Consumer Civil Society in the Balochistan High Court for violation of the following articles of the Constitution: Article 9 (security of person), Article 15 (freedom of movement), Article 18 (freedom of trade, business, and profession), Article 19-A (right to information), and Article 25 (equality of citizens), Dawn reported.
Shaheed stated in the petition that cell phone is a basic mode of communication for businessmen, students, educational institutions and others but the government had suspended mobile network and internet services throughout the province “without any plausible justification”, which was negatively impacting children’s education and business activities. The petition further added that inter-district and inter-provincial bus services were suspended, leading to continued suffering of the public.
Calling Attention Notice
Earlier in the day, a calling attention notice, a parliamentary procedure used to bring urgent matters of public importance to the attention of a minister or relevant authority, was presented in Senate by Senator Kamran Murtaza on the internet suspension in Balochistan. The notice drew the attention of the Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication towards the suspension of mobile internet services across the province on the pretext of security, “causing great unrest amongst various segments of the society including students, freelancers and businessmen etc,” the notice read.
Responding to this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry remarked that the decision to suspend mobile internet services does not lie with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom. Mobile internet has been temporarily suspended in Balochistan because of security reasons, he said, adding that other mobile services have been restored in the province. He even said that these “necessary steps” have been taken to ensure elimination of terrorism.” He also remarked that all airlines are operational in the province.
