Internet services in Muzaffarabad were restored on Wednesday night, ending a 53-day suspension of broadband connectivity that had disrupted communication, businesses and election coverage across Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Broadband services resumed at around 10pm on Wednesday and were reported to be functioning normally. Mobile data services, however, continued to face connectivity problems.
The suspension had been in effect since June 6 and affected residents, businesses, digital banking services and journalists covering political and electoral developments in the region.
The disruption was seen as a major concern for media organisations at a time when AJK was entering a crucial phase of its electoral process. The restoration came ahead of the second phase of the AJK Legislative Assembly elections in Muzaffarabad Division.
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who was in Muzaffarabad at the time, had earlier called for internet services to be restored in the AJK capital. During a media talk, he urged that connectivity be restored before polling in the division.
