Pakistan has suspended mobile data services for three weeks across the restive southwestern province of Balochistan, aiming to disrupt communications among separatist militants behind a surge in deadly attacks, officials said Friday.
In an order issued Wednesday, seen by Reuters, the government cited the deteriorating law and order situation and said the suspension would remain in effect until the end of the month. The province, rich in minerals and home to key Chinese Belt and Road Initiative projects, has faced intensified insurgent violence in recent months.
“The service has been suspended because they [militants] use it for coordination and sharing information,” provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind told reporters.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, borders Afghanistan and Iran and has a population of about 15 million, including 8.5 million mobile subscribers. The security clampdown follows Islamabad’s recent ban on road travel to Iran, also over security concerns.
Separatist groups, led by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), have waged a decades-long insurgency accusing the central government of exploiting the province’s resources without fair benefit to locals. While their attacks have traditionally targeted Pakistani military forces and Chinese nationals, militants have recently escalated operations against senior army officers.
On Tuesday, a roadside bomb killed an army officer and two soldiers, an attack claimed by the BLA. The group also took responsibility for several recent strikes on military leaders.
Balochistan hosts the strategic Gwadar Port, a centerpiece of China’s $65 billion investment in Pakistan under the Belt and Road programme. Islamabad has accused arch-rival India of backing the insurgency to destabilize the region, a charge New Delhi denies.
In one of the deadliest incidents this year, the BLA in March bombed a railway track and held more than 400 passengers hostage, killing 31 people, including 23 soldiers.
Written By Rodney Mbua
