Bara internet outage hits traders, digital payments and students

Internet services have been suspended for about two weeks in Bara tehsil of Khyber district, disrupting business activity, digital financial services and online education, according to The Express Tribune and PhoneWorld.

Traders in Bara Bazaar, which has nearly 10,000 shops, estimate their combined losses at tens of millions of rupees. Syed Ayaz Wazir, president of the Bara Traders Association, urged the authorities to restore internet services immediately in view of the public hardship and business losses.

Easy Paisa and other internet-based financial services used by shopkeepers and customers have been disrupted. Banks and ATMs in Bara Bazaar remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays, which increases reliance on digital channels. Remittances from overseas Pakistanis and domestic money transfers are also affected.

Farooq Afridi, an Easy Paisa shopkeeper in Bara Bazaar, is among those affected. More than 100 shops in the bazaar are linked to Easy Paisa and other online business services, and business at these outlets has slowed considerably over the past two weeks, according to PhoneWorld.

Students are also affected. Lubna Afridi, a 12th-grade student from Shalobar, said her studies are disrupted, and PhoneWorld reported that her course material requires internet access. She said dozens of female students from Bara enrolled in colleges face the same problems. Alina Afridi, a first-year student from Bara, is also affected.

The reports link the shutdown to protests. Traders held three days of protests in Bara Bazaar from 11 October against the imposition of Governor's Rule and an emergency in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Clashes occurred at some places during the protests.

Mobile networks and internet services were suspended after the protests and have not been fully restored. Local traders and students have demanded full restoration without further delay.