Overview
- The provincial Home Department asked the federal government to suspend 3G/4G services in Quetta on October 31 for 24 hours, citing a “peculiar” law-and-order situation and heightened threat perceptions.
- Authorities said the blackout is a precaution to prevent misuse of online platforms during security operations, with police, Frontier Corps and paramilitary units reinforcing deployments in the Red Zone and other sensitive areas.
- Officials provided no firm timeline beyond the stated window, indicating services would be restored once conditions stabilize.
- Students, freelancers, business owners, journalists and rights groups reported immediate disruption to education, livelihoods and reporting, recalling that an August suspension was overturned by a Balochistan High Court order.
- In a separate incident, a grenade was hurled at the SSP Highway Police office in Dera Murad Jamali, prompting heightened patrols and an investigation, as a prior report estimated Pakistan’s outage losses at about $1.62 billion.