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09:57 Aug 21, 2025
The restoration of mobile services in Balochistan was underway on Thursday after the Balochistan High Court (BHC) ordered their immediate resumption, ending a 15-day suspension. Earlier this month, mobile data services in the province were announced to be suspended until August 31 over “security reasons”. Balochistan’s Consumer Civil Society chairman, Khair Muhammad Shaheen, had filed a constitutional petition against the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and others regarding the suspension of mobile phone internet services. The petition argued that the mobile phone services were a basic mode of communication for businessmen, students, educational institutions and others. It added that the suspension constituted a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 9 (security of person), 15 (freedom of movement etc), 18 (freedom of trade, business and profession), 19-A (right to information) and 25 (equality of citizens) of the Constitution. A two-member BHC bench, comprising Chief Justice Rozi Kha...