QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Wednesday ordered Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan and Balochistan Advocate General Adnan Basharat to file their replies on the shutdown of internet services in the province.
A two-member BHC bench comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Barrech and Justice Sardar Ahmed Halimi issued the directive while hearing a constitutional petition filed by Khair Mohammad, chairman of the Consumer Civil Society of Balochistan, against Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and others.
A notification issued by the Balochistan Home Department on August 6 cited the “peculiar law and order situation” in the province as a cause for the suspension.
CJ Barrech noted that the provincial government had suspended the service without providing a reasonable justification, severely affecting education, commercial activities, and other aspects of daily life despite the fact that internet access was an essential means of communication for the business community, students, educational institutions and other sectors.
Such indefinite suspension violates fundamental and economic rights guaranteed under Articles 9, 15, 18, 19, and 25 of the Constitution, the chief justice observed.
The court warned the respondents that if written responses were not submitted by Friday, the interior secretary and the IT and telecommunication secretary must appear in person on that day.
Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2025