Mobile internet services suspended in certain areas of Balochistan to ‘ensure public safety’, says PTA

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The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Friday announced that mobile internet services in certain parts of Balochistan have been suspended to “ensure public safety”.

Pakistan, particularly the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, has witnessed a sharp uptick in terrorism-related incidents over the past year.

At least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station on November 9, local authorities and hospital officials said.

On September 26, at least two policemen were among a dozen people injured by a bomb attack, which targeted a police vehicle in Quetta.

Officials said that unidentified miscreants had parked an explosives-laden motorcycle in the Bhosa Mandi area of Eastern Bypass. When a police vehicle reached the spot, an explosion was triggered, ostensibly using a remote-controlled device.

“The general public is hereby informed that, under the directives of authorised departments, mobile internet services have been temporarily suspended in certain areas of Balochistan,” Friday’s statement said.

The statement added that the step was taken “to ensure public safety given the security situation in these areas”.

It, however, did not specify the areas where mobile internet services have been suspended or provide details on the duration of the suspension.

To ensure security within the province, the Balochistan government decided to develop a provincial action plan to significantly enhance governance and security across the province.

Balochistan Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan on Wednesday briefed a high-level meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, on the proposed plan.

The chief secretary said that a comprehensive strategy is being developed to effectively counter terrorism, crime, extortion and smuggling cases with a focus on enhancing enforcement measures.