May 19, 2022 – A number of people in the Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have taken to the streets to protest against the suspension of mobile internet service and demand its immediate restoration.
The internet service has been unavailable across most parts of Bajaur for more than two weeks due to “security reasons”, according to reports by local media. Students, social activists, traders and telecom operators have joined the demonstrations, calling on the authorities concerned to take swift action and restore internet connectivity. The suspension has disrupted communication within and outside the region, causing major losses to the telecom sector.
On Wednesday, demonstrators blocked the Peshawar-Bajaur highway for hours, demanding a proper restoration of the internet. The residents also complain that they are unable to communicate with their family members, who are working in other cities, including Karachi and Lahore.
On the other hand, Federal Minister for Information Technology Aminul Haque has said that to improve the quality of internet services, the telecom sector needs to upgrade its infrastructure. He urged telecom companies to play an effective role in the upgradation of their infrastructure in remote and backward areas. The minister believes that addressing public complaints and strengthening networks is inevitable for digitalisation. However, there has been no comment recently by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) on the continuing protests against the unavailability of internet services in Bajaur.
سروسزکےمعیارکوبہترکرنے کیلئے ٹیلی کام سیکٹرکو اپنا انفراسٹرکچراپ گریڈ کرنا ہوگا. پسماندہ ودوردرازعلاقوں میں براڈ بینڈ فراہمی کیلئے وزارت آئی ٹی 90 سے 95 فیصد سبسڈی دے رہی ہے، امین الحق.
مزید تفصیلات: https://t.co/OGHz7Lc9eI pic.twitter.com/ku21extkZv
— Ministry of IT & Telecom (@MoitOfficial) May 19, 2022
Mobile internet service was restored in Bajaur in 2019 after a period of over three years. The internet was suspended in the district in 2016 over security issues and its restoration was welcomed widely by the residents, who hoped that it would boost socioeconomic activities in the district.
In December 2021, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced internet restoration in the Kurram Agency of former FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas). The connectivity in seven districts of FATA (a semi-autonomous body until 2018 when it was merged with KP), was suspended in June 2016 after an armed clash between forces on Torkham border joining Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The unavailability of the internet has had serious implications on access to healthcare, communication, education, work, and entertainment in the region. The situation was further exacerbated during the COVID-19 outbreak.
