Pakistan: 2 months on, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa residents continue to face hardships due to prolonged internet suspension

Residents of multiple areas in Lower South Waziristan of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are facing major difficulties due to complete suspension of mobile internet services over the past two months.

The local residents, students as well as members of the business community have urged the Shehbaz Sharif-led government as well as Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and other relevant institutions to take immediate measures to restore mobile internet services in the regions, Dawn reported.

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A local resident told the Pakistani media platform that mobile internet remains unavailable across several areas of Birmal and Wana tehsils. This has resulted in thousands of people not having access to essential communication and digital services.

Among the affected areas in Birmal tehsil are Landi Doag, Ji Khel Staff, Shin Warsak, Azam Warsak, Kalotai and Nargasi. Moreover, people in Ghowa Kohwa, Zeri Noor, Dazha Ghundai and Kari Kot in tehsil Wana are also facing prolonged suspension of mobile internet services.

Local residents have said that continued disruption has severely impacted their day-to-day life and communication.

Due to the suspension of internet services, students said they are facing difficulties in accessing online learning materials, conducting academic research and communicating with their educational institutions. A large number of students in these regions are unable to attend online courses and educational programmes due to internet suspension.

Further, those belonging to the business community have expressed concern over the internet suspension, stating that it has severely impacted their work. Local traders are facing daily problems in conducting their work as they depend heavily on internet-based services, such as online banking and digital payments, according to Dawn.