Mobile and internet services begin returning in Mirpur after 45-day suspension

MIRPUR: Mobile phone and internet services started to return in Mirpur city and nearby areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, ending a disruption that had lasted 45 days and affected residents, businesses and routine communication.

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari confirmed the development in a post on X, saying he had been hearing that internet and digital connectivity in Mirpur AJK would be restored soon. In the same post, he thanked the AJK PPP and the AJK Election Commission for their role.

I'm grateful to the AJK PPP for their efforts [and] the election commission of AJK for their intervention,

Bilawal also said he hoped similar requests for the restoration of internet and mobile phone services in Muzaffarabad and other areas would be accepted as early as possible. During the election campaign, he had repeatedly called for the restoration of cellular and internet services across the region.

Addressing party workers in Mirpur on Wednesday, Bilawal said both the protesters and the state were punishing the public through the continued suspension of internet and mobile services.

Elections approaching in phases

The restoration comes as AJK prepares for elections scheduled for next week. AJK Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal announced on July 21 that polling would take place in three phases.

According to the election commissioner, voting in Mirpur Division will be held first on July 27, followed by Muzaffarabad Division on August 2 and Poonch Division on August 10.

Suspension followed violent protests

Internet and cellular services had been suspended last month after protests by the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee turned violent. The group had been demanding the abolition of 12 refugee seats in the AJK Assembly.

The AJK government later declared JAAC a proscribed organisation under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The ban was imposed days before the outfit's planned June 9 protest, which was also aimed at ending the 12 seats reserved in the AJK Assembly for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.