On this page
  1. What does an internet shutdown in Pakistan actually switch off?
  2. Documented internet shutdowns in Pakistan since 2023
  3. Why a mobile data cut hits almost every customer
  4. Business continuity checklist for internet shutdowns
  5. Which backups does your business need first?
  6. Summary
  7. References

An internet shutdown in Pakistan rarely takes the whole internet down: most documented cases since 2023 were mobile data or mobile phone suspensions in a city, a province or the whole country, app blocks such as X, and slowdowns from undersea cable faults. Because about 97 of every 100 broadband connections in Pakistan are mobile, a mobile data suspension cuts off almost all of your customers even when your office line works, so a business plan for shutdowns needs SMS and voice, a fixed line, payment options that work offline and records you can reach without the internet. This guide lists the documented events, what kept working during each, and a checklist for online stores and service businesses.

We build websites, online stores and WhatsApp automations for businesses in Pakistan, so this is the plan we would want in place before the next disruption. Every event below comes from an official statement by PTA, the federal or a provincial government, a telecom operator, or reporting in Dawn, and the subscriber figures come from PTA’s own indicators. We record what was switched off and the official reason where one was given, without commentary.

What does an internet shutdown in Pakistan actually switch off?

The word covers several different things. Knowing which one you are in tells you which backup will work.

TypeWhat stopsWhat kept working in documented cases
Mobile data suspension3G and 4G data: WhatsApp, apps, mobile wallets and websites on phonesVoice calls and SMS, in the May 2023 nationwide case
Mobile phone suspensionMobile calls and mobile dataLandline internet, on election day in February 2024
Platform blockOne service, such as XEverything else
SlowdownSpeed, after faults in international submarine cablesConnections stay up, but heavy pages and media load slowly
Regional blackoutMobile data and fixed broadbandIn Azad Jammu and Kashmir in 2026 fixed lines were cut too, and broadband came back first for banks and schools in some districts

Documented internet shutdowns in Pakistan since 2023

Only events with an official statement or reporting by a major outlet are listed, with the reason as officially stated where one was given.

DatesWhereWhat happenedSource
9 to 12 May 2023NationwidePTA instructed all operators to shut down mobile internet. Telenor said customers still had voice calls and SMS, and mobile internet was restored on the evening of 12 May.Telenor
8 February 2024NationwideOn election day the interior ministry suspended mobile services, citing the security situation. Landline internet was not disrupted. Restoration began in parts of the country that evening; Karachi got signals after midnight.Dawn
17 February 2024 to May 2025NationwideX blocked. The interior ministry told the Sindh High Court it was blocked on intelligence agencies’ reports. PTA lifted the block in May 2025.Dawn
August 2024NationwideOn 22 August, PTA attributed an internet slowdown and degraded service to faults in two of Pakistan’s seven international submarine cables, AAE-1 and SMW4.PTA
From 23 November 2024Parts of IslamabadThe interior ministry suspended mobile data and WiFi “only in areas of security concerns”. Dawn reported mobile data still suspended on the fourth day.Dawn
6 to 21 August 2025All of BalochistanThe provincial home department suspended 3G and 4G until 31 August, citing law and order. After 15 days, the Balochistan High Court ordered restoration.Dawn
From midnight, 9 October 2025Islamabad and RawalpindiThe interior ministry approved suspending 3G and 4G “till further orders”, with no reason stated.Dawn
From 5 June 2026Azad Jammu and KashmirMobile data and fixed broadband cut region-wide. Parts of Mirpur division got service back after 48 days; phased restoration began on 31 August, with broadband in Muzaffarabad limited to educational institutions and banks.Dawn
26 June 2026, Ashura24 Punjab districts, Quetta, parts of SindhMobile phone services partly suspended at religious gatherings in Punjab until 10pm; mobile phone and internet services suspended across Quetta.Dawn

Two patterns matter for planning. First, suspensions are announced at short notice and often have no end date. Second, some are predictable: Dawn reported suspensions on 9 and 10 Muharram in 2019 and again at Ashura in 2026, so plan those days like a public holiday for online orders. On election day in 2024, Dawn reported that ride-hailing and food delivery services lost business and that many customers had trouble paying through JazzCash and Easypaisa. In February 2025 Jazz’s chief executive put the cost of shutdowns to the economy at “hundreds of millions of dollars”.

Why a mobile data cut hits almost every customer

PTA’s telecom indicators for August 2026 count 166.7 million broadband subscriptions in Pakistan. Of these, 162.3 million, or 97.3%, are mobile broadband. Fixed connections of every kind add up to about 4.4 million: 3.0 million fiber to the home, 0.8 million DSL and 0.6 million fixed 3G and 4G wireless, plus about 44,000 on older technologies.

Bar chart of broadband subscriptions in Pakistan by type in August 2026: 162.3 million mobile broadband against 3.0 million fiber, 0.8 million DSL and 0.6 million fixed wireless
Broadband subscriptions in Pakistan by type, August 2026, from PTA's telecom indicators. Mobile broadband is 97.3% of the total.

So your own fiber line keeps your team working, but it does not keep your customers online. During a mobile data suspension most buyers cannot open WhatsApp, your website or a wallet app. The backups that reach them are the ones that do not need mobile data: voice calls and SMS, when they stay on, and customers who are on home WiFi or abroad.

Business continuity checklist for internet shutdowns

Before: set up the backups

  • Keep an offline copy of what you need to call people. Export open orders, customer names and phone numbers to a laptop every evening. A list on a cloud dashboard is useless when you cannot load it.
  • Two connections from two companies. A fixed line for the office or shop and a mobile data backup from a different operator. Fixed broadband stayed up on 8 February 2024; mobile data stayed off.
  • An SMS route. In May 2023, Telenor said calls and SMS still worked while mobile data was off. Keep an SMS account with a short template ready: “WhatsApp may be down. Call or SMS us on 03xx…” Our AI automation service can set this up so a WhatsApp message still undelivered after an hour goes out again by SMS; our guide to what n8n is shows how such workflows are built.
  • Do not run sales only on WhatsApp. Keep an email list and your own website on your own domain, so overseas buyers and customers on WiFi can still order. Keep the order page light, as heavy pages fail first during slowdowns.
  • Payment backups. Offer bank transfer and cash on delivery next to wallets and cards, since wallet payments failed for many people in February 2024. Our guide to JazzCash and Easypaisa on WooCommerce covers the wallet side.
  • Offline billing at the counter. Choose a POS with an offline mode; see our POS software guide.
  • Remote staff and VPNs. PTA said in November 2024 that software houses, call centers, banks and freelancers can register a VPN for free, and from 13 November 2025 it has licensed VPN providers whose customers need no separate PTA registration.
  • Write the messages now: a website banner, a Google Business Profile update and an SMS for customers with pending orders.

During: work out what is off, then switch channels

  1. Check the scope. Test mobile data on two networks and your fixed line. Check PTA’s website and news reports for a statement covering your city.
  2. Switch customer contact to calls and SMS if they work, and post the update on your website for customers on WiFi or abroad.
  3. Pause paid ads aimed at the affected area, and pause automations that would send messages nobody can receive.
  4. Keep selling offline: cash, manual receipts or offline POS invoices, and a written list of cash on delivery orders to confirm later.
  5. Tell staff which channel to use, who answers the phone and when you will update them.

After: catch up within 24 hours

  • FBR-integrated retailers: rule 150XC of the Sales Tax Rules, as amended by S.R.O. 69(I)/2025, says invoices made during an internet or power failure must be marked as offline invoices and uploaded within 24 hours of restoration. Rule 150XA also requires integrated persons to report any operational failure or disruption of the system to FBR and the commissioner within 24 hours.
  • Reconcile payments from every channel and re-confirm cash on delivery orders placed just before the cut.
  • Resend failed messages and answer the backlog, oldest first.
  • Write down what failed and fix it before the next event.

Which backups does your business need first?

BusinessBiggest riskFirst three backups
Online store selling in PakistanBuyers cannot order or confirm cash on deliverySMS confirmations, offline order list, bank transfer and cash on delivery
Exporter or freelancer with foreign clientsYour own connection, not the buyer’sTwo connections from different companies, email, a registered business VPN
Clinic, academy or service businessMissed bookings and remindersPrinted daily schedule, SMS reminders, a phone line customers know
Shop with a counterCard machines and wallets failCash float, offline POS mode, FBR offline invoice routine

If your orders and messages run through WhatsApp, read our WhatsApp Business API guide for Pakistan as well, since an API setup lets you track delivery and fall back to SMS or email.

Summary

Internet shutdowns in Pakistan since 2023 have mostly been mobile data or mobile phone suspensions, nationwide, in a province or in a few cities, plus the X block and cable slowdowns; in Azad Jammu and Kashmir in 2026, fixed broadband was cut too. With 97.3% of broadband subscriptions on mobile, plan for customers to be unreachable online: keep an offline list of orders and numbers, an SMS and voice route, a fixed line from a second company, payment options beyond wallets, offline POS billing with FBR’s 24-hour upload rule in mind, and prepared messages. To have the SMS fallback and message routing built for you, see our AI automation service.

References