Mobile phone signals and internet services were disrupted in Peshawar and other cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Sunday, leaving residents and the media struggling to communicate, according to the BBC and the global internet monitor NetBlocks.
NetBlocks said in a post on X late Sunday that its network data showed a “major disruption to Internet connectivity in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” Users in the province reported that both mobile data and Wi-Fi stopped working. Wi-Fi began working again on Monday, but it is not clear whether mobile data has been restored.
The BBC reported that the suspension of mobile signals and internet services in several parts of the province had caused serious communication problems for citizens and journalists.
Neither the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) nor the interior ministry has publicly explained the cause of the latest disruption, or said whether it extended beyond the affected areas.
A similar suspension was reported last week. Mobile phone and internet services remained suspended across large parts of Peshawar on Thursday, the day the PTI-led long march was scheduled to reach the city. The suspension began on Wednesday night without any public announcement.
A PTA official confirmed to the media that the authority had acted on the directives of higher authorities. The official said the measure was temporary and had been taken as a security precaution during the march, adding that the ministry’s orders were conveyed on Wednesday night.