The Balochistan government has extended the enforcement of Section 144 across the region for another 15 days, while train services have been halted and mobile internet services suspended again despite a court order for their restoration.
According to an official notification issued on Friday by the Home Department, the restrictions will remain in force from 31 August to 14 September. The order bans the display and use of weapons, pillion riding, tinted glass on vehicles, unregistered motorbikes, and public gatherings of five or more people, including sit-ins, processions and rallies.
The order also bars people from covering their faces in public places using masks, mufflers or other means that could obstruct identification. The government said the restrictions were being enforced under sub-section (6) of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code of 1898 to maintain public safety and order.
This marks the third extension of Section 144 since it was first imposed on 1 August for 15 days, and subsequently prolonged on 16 August.
Meanwhile, train operations from Quetta to other parts of the country have been stopped. Railway officials said the Jaffar Express, which was travelling from Peshawar to Quetta, was halted at Jacobabad Railway Station after security clearance was not granted. Passengers were told to continue their journey into Balochistan via public transport.
Mobile internet services were once again suspended across Balochistan, including in Quetta. According to sources, internet connectivity had been restored in some districts last week on the directives of the Balochistan High Court, but services have now been shut down again.
The Home Department said the measure was taken in view of the “peculiar law and order situation and existing threat alerts,” and directed telecom authorities to enforce the shutdown.
Rights groups and lawyers say repeated shutdowns of mobile services, together with the extension of Section 144 restrictions and the suspension of transport, violate citizens’ fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, freedom of movement, access to information and equality under the Constitution.
Observers say the restrictions highlight the severity of the security situation in Balochistan, where armed groups have intensified their operations in recent months. But they argue that such blanket measures risk deepening public resentment while doing little to tackle the underlying causes of the conflict.