Fact-check: Balochistan government's letter ordering mobile data shutdown till August 31 is authentic
Mobile data services have been blocked in Balochistan since the day the letter was issued on August 6
Updated Friday Aug 08 2025
A letter is doing the rounds on social media which purportedly shows the Balochistan Home Department requesting the federal interior ministry to suspend 3G and 4G mobile services across the Balochistan province till August 31. Others have questioned the veracity of the letter.
The letter is indeed genuine.
Claim
A supposed letter dated August 6, 2025, is being shared which claims to be written by the home department in Balochistan to the federal ministry of interior.
The letter states that due to the “peculiar law and order situation” the 3G and 4G services should be suspended for the entire Balochistan province till August 31.
The letter has circulated here, here and here.
Fact
Four government officials familiar with the matter confirmed to Geo Fact Check that the letter is authentic and has been issued.
Shahid Rind, the spokesperson of the Balochistan government, confirmed to Geo Fact Check on the phone that the letter was genuine. He further refused to go into any additional details.
Shahzeb Khan Kakar, the commissioner of Quetta division, and Mansoor Qazi, the deputy commissioner of Hub, also admitted to receiving the letter at their offices.
Additionally, an official from the state-run Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), who asked not to be named, said: “Data services have been blocked in Balochistan on the directions of the competent authorities till further orders.”
It must be mentioned that mobile data services have been blocked in Balochistan since the day the letter was issued on August 6.
Verdict: The letter requesting the suspension of 3G and 4G mobile data services across Balochistan till August 31 is authentic. Multiple government officials, including the Balochistan government spokesperson and district-level administrators, confirmed its legitimacy.
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