Mobile internet suspended across much of Balochistan for fourth day

WEB DESK: Mobile phone internet services remained suspended for a fourth consecutive day across Quetta and several other parts of Balochistan, following recent terrorist attacks in the province, officials said on Monday.

The shutdown was imposed as a security measure in the aftermath of the attacks, but authorities have not announced a timeline for the restoration of services. The prolonged suspension has disrupted daily life, with residents reporting difficulties in communication, online work and access to essential services that rely on mobile internet connectivity.

Journalists in particular have been hit hard by the outage, saying the lack of internet access has severely hampered news gathering, filing and coordination with newsrooms. The media community has urged authorities to restore services at the earliest, warning that extended disruptions are affecting both professional work and the public’s right to timely information.

Balochistan operation intensifies

Since January 31, security forces, backed by intelligence agencies and police, continued large-scale counterterrorism operations across Balochistan, with the number of militants killed rising to at least 177 over the past three days, security sources said. During follow-up operations last night, 22 additional militants linked to Fitna-ul-Hindustan were reportedly neutralised as authorities tightened the cordon around militant networks and their facilitators across multiple locations.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti reiterated that the state would not surrender to terrorism, praising security forces for what he described as timely intelligence-based operations that prevented several planned attacks. He confirmed that the bodies of the killed militants are in state custody and said operations were conducted carefully to minimise civilian harm.

Bugti condemned recent attacks that killed women and children in Gwadar and civilians in Quetta, vowing justice for the victims and support for their families. He said more than 1,500 militants have been killed this year and alleged foreign involvement in fuelling violence, while insisting that peace and stability would be restored in the province.