Mobile data services suspended in Balochistan over 'security concerns'

Services disrupted for over three weeks amid surge in separatist attacks

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Mobile data services have been suspended in Balochistan since over three weeks to disrupt communications among separatist insurgents behind a recent surge in attacks, officials said on Friday.

An order issued on Wednesday and seen by Reuters said services would remain suspended until the end of the month because of the law and order situation in the province, which hosts key projects under China’s Belt and Road programme.

“The service has been suspended because they [militants] use it for coordination and sharing information,” provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind said.

Read: No power can detach Balochistan from Pakistan: DG ISPR

Officials said there are 8.5 million cell phone subscribers in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area but home to 15 million people out of a national population of 240 million.

Separatist groups, seeking a greater share of profits from the resource-rich province, have intensified attacks in recent months, particularly on the military, which has launched an intelligence-based offensive against them.

The insurgents mainly target Pakistani security forces and Chinese nationals, but have recently struck senior army officers. On Tuesday, an officer and two soldiers were killed in a roadside blast claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

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In March, the BLA blew up a railway track and took more than 400 passengers hostage, killing 31 people, including 23 soldiers.

Last month, Pakistan also banned road travel to Iran, citing security threats.

Balochistan is home to Gwadar Port, developed by China as part of a $65 billion investment in Pakistan under its Belt and Road programme.

Islamabad accuses arch-rival India of funding and backing the insurgents in a bid to stoke instability, a charge New Delhi denies.