Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is entering its third consecutive month without functional internet service, with mobile data suspended continuously since the first week of June 2026. Brief restorations have taken place in the Muzaffarabad and Mirpur divisions at various points, but these have been followed by renewed suspensions each time, leaving most of the region without reliable connectivity for an extended period.
The prolonged disruption has affected communication across multiple groups within the region, including the overseas Kashmiri diaspora, who have found it difficult to stay in contact with family members back home. WhatsApp, commonly used as the primary communication channel connecting overseas Kashmiris with relatives in AJK, has remained largely inaccessible throughout the shutdown, while slower local cellular networks have made even basic voice calls more difficult to complete reliably.
The disruption has also affected students unable to access online learning platforms, business owners whose e-commerce operations depend on stable connectivity, and freelancers who rely on the internet for income. In more remote parts of the region where fixed line broadband infrastructure from Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) is not available, residents have been left without any alternative connectivity option during the shutdown period.
Currently, internet services remain available in the Mirpur Division, including Mirpur city, Kotli, Bhimber, Afzalpur, Chakswari, Islamgarh, Dadyal, Jatlan, and Mangla Hamlet, along with parts of the Muzaffarabad Division, though cellular data speeds in these areas remain slower than usual. The AJK shutdown runs parallel to prolonged internet disruptions in parts of Balochistan, where several districts have experienced suspended mobile internet service for considerably longer periods, with Panjgur district having had internet continuously suspended since 2022 aside from a brief ten day restoration in September 2025, while Mastung has remained offline for three years, Khuzdar for two and a half years, and Qalat for eighteen months.
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