SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: The residents of Lower South Waziristan on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration against the continued suspension of mobile internet services in Gazey Pizha area of Wana.

Carrying placards inscribed with slogans demanding restoration of internet services, the protesters mostly young men urged the government to ensure the availability of communication facilities.

Talking to Dawn, locals said that suspension of mobile internet services for the past two months had severely affected their daily lives.

They said the prolonged disruption created difficulties for students, traders and ordinary citizens who relied on internet connectivity for education, business activities and financial transactions.

The protesters said that in the modern era, internet access had become an essential service rather than a luxury.

Urging the federal government and relevant institutions to restore mobile internet services, the protesting youth said the internet suspension had hit the students hard as they were using online educational platforms for learning.

The business community, they maintained, were also facing problems due to disruption in online transactions and prevented them from communicating with customers.

The protesters said they would expand the protest in the coming days that if the authorities concerned failed to take measures for the restoration of internet services.

They threatened to block the Wana-Dera Ismail Khan Road to traffic if their demands were not addressed, adding that the government would be responsible for the resulting inconvenience faced by the commuters.

The mobile internet services have been suspended in several areas of Birmal tehsil in Lower South Waziristan for the past one year.

Meanwhile, sources in the district administration said that mobile internet services had been suspended due to security concerns.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2026