Bara internet outage hits businesses hard

The bazaar is home to nearly 10,000 shops, and the lack of internet connectivity has disrupted sales, purchases and a range of commercial transactions. He said Easy Paisa and other internet-based financial services form an important part of local trade.

People rely on these platforms for sending and receiving money and handling everyday financial matters. With the internet down, both shopkeepers and customers dependent on these facilities are facing serious difficulties. Wazir noted that the importance of Easy Paisa and similar services increases on Saturdays and Sundays when banks and ATMs in Bara Bazaar remain closed.

Remittances from overseas Pakistanis and domestic money transfers also depend on these digital channels, all of which have been affected. He urged the authorities to restore internet services immediately in view of the public hardship and business losses.

Education has been equally hit. Students said online classes, video lectures, course preparation and access to research material have become essential, particularly for female students pursuing higher education from home. Lubna Afridi, a 12th-grade student from Shalobar, said most of her course material and study resources require internet access.

The two-week outage has severely disrupted her studies. She added that dozens of female students from Bara enrolled in colleges are facing the same problems and appealed for the service to be restored. Farooq Afridi, an Easy Paisa shopkeeper in Bara Bazaar, said more than 100 shops in the market are linked to Easy Paisa and other online business services.

Activity at these outlets has slowed to a crawl over the past fortnight, creating problems for both operators and customers. He also called for the immediate restoration of internet services. Alina Afridi, a first-year student from Bara, said a large part of her studies depends on the internet.

Students take online classes, watch lectures and access information and research material from home. The prolonged suspension has made it difficult for them to meet their academic needs. She demanded that the service be restored as soon as possible so students can resume their education normally.

It may be recalled that three-day protests were held in Bara Bazaar from 11 October against the imposition of Governor's Rule and emergency in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa by the federal government. Clashes occurred at some places during the demonstrations.

Mobile networks and internet services were suspended afterwards. Local traders and students say the service has still not been fully restored. Traders and students have urged the authorities to take into account both the law-and-order situation.