Islamabad high courts declared mobile network shutdown illegal

The Islamabad high court declared that governmental-imposed mobile network shutdown is illegal. This decision was issues in response to a petition filed by four residents of Islamabad in April 2016. Their petition was related to intermittent mobile network shutdowns that occured in Islamabad in March 2016, and it claimed that the shutdowns had affected their basic rights. The judge decided that the government’s decision to suspend mobile networks for purposes of maintaining law, order, and national security, was in contradiction with the Pakistani constitution. The decision was described as a ‘great victory for digital rights’ by advocate Umer Gilani, who led the case: ‘This judgment has far reaching implications for mobile users in other areas of Pakistan. Anyone can now approach Islamabad High Court for contempt of court in case his mobile services are suspended.’