Repeated Internet Shutdowns in Balochistan Reflect Government Failure, Says JUI
QUETTA: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) Quetta district leaders have strongly criticized the repeated suspension of internet and mobile phone services across Balochistan, calling it a reflection of the government’s failure and saying that subjecting the public to collective punishment is unacceptable.
In a joint statement, JUI Quetta district chief Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Abdul Rehman Rafiq, Secretary General Haji Ainullah Shams, Senior Vice Ameer Maulana Khursheed Ahmed and other party leaders said that repeatedly depriving people of internet, mobile services and other basic facilities amounted to a violation of fundamental rights.
They said that in the modern era, internet access was no longer merely a source of entertainment but had become essential for trade, employment, journalism, education, online businesses and everyday life.
The JUI leaders said repeated internet shutdowns were causing serious difficulties for educational institutions, traders, journalists, lawyers, businesspeople and ordinary citizens.
They urged the government to abandon what they described as a policy of imposing new restrictions and shutdowns instead of providing basic facilities to the public.
They said it was unacceptable to subject the people of the entire province to collective punishment in the name of maintaining law and order.
“If there are genuine security concerns in a specific area, the government should take limited and temporary measures within the framework of the law and Constitution,” the leaders said.
They argued that shutting down internet and mobile services across an entire province or large areas without justification only increased public hardship.
The JUI leaders noted that Balochistan was already facing serious challenges, including underdevelopment, unemployment, poverty, insecurity and a shortage of basic facilities. They warned that the suspension of communication services was further increasing the sense of deprivation among the people.
They called on the government to find permanent and practical solutions to public problems rather than attempting to control the situation through temporary restrictions.
The JUI leaders demanded the immediate restoration of internet and mobile services in all districts of Balochistan wherever shutdowns were not justified.
They further said that where services had to be suspended for unavoidable reasons, the public should be informed about the reasons and services should be restored as quickly as possible.
The JUI Quetta leadership said the party would continue to raise its voice through constitutional, democratic and legal forums for the protection of fundamental rights, freedom of expression and access to information, stressing that the government must ensure the provision of basic facilities to the people.
