ISLAMABAD: (August 19) Internet services were severely disrupted across Lahore and several other cities in Punjab on Monday, causing widespread inconvenience for users and raising concerns about the reliability of connectivity.
According to the global internet observatory NetBlocks, real-time network data indicated significant disruptions in internet access throughout various parts of the province, including major urban centres like Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, and Gujranwala.
The Internet observer confirmed that PTCL services are down in multiple cities, causing severe problems to internet users.
An Internet user from Lahore said that she had been facing an acute problem with internet connectivity.
“Our Internet services have been down for the last two hours,” She added.
“Live network data show significant disruptions to internet connectivity in parts of Punjab, including Lahore,” NetBlocks stated on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), confirming the outage.
⚠️ Confirmed: Metrics show a major disruption to internet connectivity across #Pakistan with high impact to backbone operator PTCL; overall national connectivity is down to 20% of ordinary levels 📉 pic.twitter.com/BbS1NSdivM
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) August 19, 2025
Local users reported difficulties accessing social media platforms, streaming services, and work-related communication tools. Many businesses, freelancers, and students who rely on a stable internet for remote work and education also reported being affected.
As of this report, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has not issued an official statement regarding the cause of the outage or its expected duration.
This is not the first time the province has experienced such disruptions. In recent months, temporary internet blackouts have occurred during protests or political events, although it remains unclear if the current outage is linked to any particular developments.
Telecom operators and internet service providers (ISPs) have yet to provide clarity on the situation.
More updates will follow as the story develops.
