ISLAMABAD/Gilgit: After a 16-day suspension amid religious tensions in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), mobile data services were fully restored across the region on Monday. The services were suspended on Sept 1.

In a letter addressed to the Secretary of the Minis­try of Interior, the Gilgit-Baltistan home and prisons department officially communicated its decisio­n to restore 4G cellular inte­r­net services in the region.

The Pakistan Tele­com­munication Authority (PTA) restored the mobile cellular internet services after the GB government said security conditions had improved in the region.

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The letter, dated September 18, stated the decision to restore 4G cellular internet services had been made in the larger interest of the people, with the aim to alleviate difficulties faced by the masses.

According to a press release issued by the Gilgit-Baltistan government on Monday, the internet and mobile phone services were suspended in the region to restore law and order situation and to stop spread of malicious content by miscreants on social media.

The press release said as the law and order situation has come back to normal and in order to end difficulties faced by students and companies and freelancers related to online business, the GB government has taken measures to immediately rest­ore the internet services.

The GB government has appealed to the people to ensure positive and constructive use of internet services, adding that the government would take strict legal action against those miscreants who were found involved in dissemination of obscene and hateful content on the internet.

The move comes as a relief for locals, especially freelancers and those related to tech-related businesses, which were adversely affected by the suspension and downgrading of the internet services in the region.

On September 1, the GB government asked the interior ministry to downgrade the 4G cellular internet services in GB. The request was forwarded to the PTA.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2023