Residents in Gilgit take stand against military-run telecommunication company

Residents of Gilgit-Baltistan have initiated a boycott campaign against the military-run telecommunications company for the substandard services being provided and demanded improved connectivity and reliability.

The Special Communications Organization (SCO) is a government division of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, which is operated by the Pakistan Army.

The SCO is often criticised for its poor performance and for putting up barriers that prevent other companies from offering telecom services in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) region.

Due to SCO’s exclusive monopoly in PoK, the region suffered and lacked access to contemporary telecom services. The lack of communication infrastructure in the region was blamed for a large number of fatalities following the 2005 earthquake.

Following protests, the Pakistani government opened up the PoK region to mobile operators, but SCO still has tight control over network access in the region.

The Internet, which is a basic requirement nowadays, is still a luxury in the areas occupied by Pakistan.

The poor internet facilities in Gilgit-Baltistan and PoK have prompted journalists to hold demonstrations. Moreover, the internet crisis in the region is forcing students to move to different places. They have to hike up to the mountaintop just to attend their online classes.