Mobile phone and internet services in Quetta have been suspended for two days, starting Sunday night, due to security concerns. The services are expected to resume on Tuesday, January 7, at midnight, according to media reports.
Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) has called for a province-wide shutter-down strike today. JUI Balochistan leader Maulana Abdul Wasay stated that the protests would continue until their demands are met.
Pakistan has faced significant financial losses due to frequent internet and social media shutdowns. A report by Top10VPN.com revealed that Pakistan lost $1.62 billion in 2024 due to internet shutdowns, the highest globally, surpassing countries like Sudan and Myanmar.
The report tracked 18 deliberate internet disruptions in Pakistan last year, caused by-elections, protests, and “information control.” These shutdowns lasted 9,735 hours and affected nearly 83 million users.
The costliest disruption was the ongoing suspension of social media platform X since February 18, amounting to $1.34 billion. Another significant shutdown occurred in Balochistan between July 16 and August 21 during protests in Gwadar, costing $11.8 million over 864 hours.
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