Internet & Telecom Blackout Strangles Azad Kashmir as Protest Strike Looms

Authorities have suspended mobile, internet, and telephone services across Azad Kashmir as the region braces for September 29 strike. The blackout has left residents isolated, unable to communicate, transact, or get any info from the outside world. Relatives of many citizens of the administered region took to social media to express the inability to contact their loved ones. This blackout comes on top of already internet disruptions Pakistan has been facing for the past several weeks.

Telecom operators have confirmed that all data and voice services are suspended region-wide, and broadband lines in major districts like Muzaffarabad are dead. The cut doesn’t spare emergency services either, even messaging apps and landline backup systems are crippled or slow to respond.

One user on a local Reddit thread summed up public frustration, saying:

“I woke up to no network, no data, no calls — completely cut off from family and news.”

Another commented:

“This is becoming a pattern — whenever things get tense, they cut us off.”

Comment
byu/–theitguy– from discussion
inpakistan

Residents who attempted to connect via VPN report that they cannot access content that way either. In many areas, signal strength has dropped to zero, effectively nullifying any workaround.

The shutdown’s impact is visible everywhere: Freelancers and online sellers struggle to take orders or accept payments. Shops that rely on QR or mobile payments revert to cash. Students trying to attend remote classes find their screens blank. News outlets say reporters are stuck, unable to file stories from the field. ATM queues grow as locals scramble for cash, while many businesses shut temporarily due to no connectivity.

Officials claim the blackout will help prevent coordination of mass protests. Yet critics argue that sweeping communication shutdowns punish ordinary citizens more than any instigator.

Talks between the AJK government and Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) broke down earlier this week, resulting in Pakistan to send ranger troops to handle the situation, and issue a communications blackout to neuter any potential mishaps.