Mobile phone and internet services have begun to be restored in Mirpur city and surrounding areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) after a 45-day suspension. The disruption had severely impacted residents, businesses, and everyday communications in the region.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), confirmed the progress, noting that he had received reports about the imminent restoration of digital connectivity in Mirpur. He expressed gratitude towards the AJK PPP and the AJK Election Commission for their roles in facilitating this development.
Bilawal also voiced optimism that internet and mobile services in Muzaffarabad and other parts of AJK would be reinstated soon. During the election campaign, he had consistently urged authorities to restore communication services throughout the region. Speaking to party workers in Mirpur on Wednesday, he highlighted the adverse effects of the suspension, stating that both protesters and the state were causing hardship for the local population by cutting off connectivity.
The resumption of services comes as AJK prepares for elections scheduled to begin next week. On July 21, AJK Chief Election Commissioner Ghulam Mustafa Mughal announced that voting would take place in three phases: Mirpur Division on July 27, Muzaffarabad Division on August 2, and Poonch Division on August 10.
The internet and cellular shutdown followed violent protests last month by the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which demanded the removal of 12 refugee seats in the AJK Assembly. Subsequently, the AJK government declared JAAC a proscribed organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). This ban was implemented just days before JAAC’s planned June 9 demonstration aimed at abolishing the reserved seats for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.
