Mobile Internet Cuts Around Islamabad in Doubt as PTI Reportedly Delays March

Update, 18:45 PKT Friday 25 September 2026: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to move its Islamabad march from Sunday 27 September to early October, according to party sources in news reports. So the mobile and internet cuts planned around it for 26 and 27 September are now in doubt. No cut was ever ordered in public, and none has been cancelled in public either. Roads into Islamabad were still closed when we checked at 18:17 PKT.

Reports differ on the new date. Most say Saturday 4 October, starting from Peshawar. One says 5 October. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is expected to announce the decision formally. He had not done so when we last checked.

On the phone cuts, the federal government has decided not to suspend internet services for now and to wait and see, according to one report on Friday afternoon. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the telecom regulator, had still posted nothing about a suspension. The Punjab request for cuts in Rawalpindi and Attock has not been publicly withdrawn.

Below: what changed on Friday, which roads are still shut, the places named in the Punjab request, the universities that went online, the FPSC interviews that moved, and what still works if your signal drops.

PTI has reportedly moved the march to October

PTI's leadership decided on Friday 25 September to postpone the 27 September march on Islamabad, according to party sources quoted in several reports. Most reports give the new date as 4 October, from Peshawar. The party had not announced it formally by the evening.

The march is to demand the release of PTI founder Imran Khan. According to the reports, a majority of the party's leaders had wanted to keep the 27 September date, but its committee agreed to wait. One report said the decision was still to be discussed with allied opposition leaders.

Government security steps are dated beyond 27 September. Rangers have been approved for Islamabad and Punjab districts until 5 October, and Punjab's ban on gatherings also runs to 5 October, according to reports. So some measures may stay in place until the new march date.

Roads into Islamabad were still closed on Friday evening

The postponement has not reopened the roads yet. When we read the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) travel advisory at 18:17 PKT on 25 September, the M-1, the M-14 and the GT Road at Attock Khurd were all still closed for law and order reasons.

This is what the NHMP board showed:

• M-1 Peshawar Motorway: closed both ways from Swabi to the Islamabad toll plaza, last updated at 15:48.
• M-14 Hakla to Dera Ismail Khan: closed both ways from Hakla to Yarik.
• GT Road (N-5): closed both ways at Attock Khurd, last updated at 17:32.
• M-2 Lahore to Islamabad: open for cars, but closed to heavy vehicles northbound from Kot Momin.

A motorway police spokesperson said no timeline could be given for reopening, according to one report. A route from Rawalpindi at T-Chowk was partly reopened for light traffic on Friday, the same report said. The full list of closure points is on the page about the M-1 and GT Road closures.

Punjab asked for mobile cuts in Rawalpindi and Attock from 27 September

The Punjab Home Department asked the Ministry of Interior to suspend 2G, 3G and 4G mobile services at named places in Rawalpindi division from 27 September, and to slow services across Attock district, according to news reports. The request was dated 21 September.

The places named sit mostly along the M-1 motorway and the GT Road west of Islamabad. That is the same belt where the M-1 and GT Road have been closed since the night of 23 September. The request was made for a march on 27 September. If the march has moved, the request may be dropped or given new dates, but nothing public says so yet.

Reports differ on the start time. One early report said midnight on 27 September. A later one said 9am. No report gives an end time. The request was sent after the Central Police Office in Punjab raised law and order concerns, and the Home Department said "protecting the lives and property of the public" was its priority, according to the reports.

Two words matter here. "Jamming" means blocking the signal, so the phone shows no service. "Downgrading" means slowing data, for example forcing phones onto 2G, so calls may work but apps barely load.

No federal order had been published by Friday evening

A telecom shutdown needs a federal decision, which PTA then carries out. Neither the Interior Ministry nor PTA had published an order when we checked again at 18:16 PKT on 25 September. PTA officials said on 23 September they had received no instruction, according to reports.

We opened PTA's press release list at 12:15 PKT and again at 18:16 PKT on 25 September. The newest release, dated 24 September, says PTA has begun checking the power backup at telecom towers. Nothing on the list mentioned a suspension. The Interior Ministry website refused our connection earlier, and the Punjab Home Department website did not load.

On Friday afternoon, federal ministers met and decided not to suspend internet services straight away, taking a wait and see approach, according to one report. We could not confirm this at source, and no official statement had been posted.

The law gives security powers over telecoms to the centre, not the provinces. Section 54 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act 1996, as published by PTA, says the Federal Government has "preference and priority" in the telecom system "for the defense or security of Pakistan". A request from Punjab has to go through Islamabad.

On 23 September, PTA officials said the authority would act only on formal instructions from the federal government, and the IT ministry said the Interior Ministry had issued none, according to reports. Nothing public has changed that since. But a missing notice does not mean service is safe around the new march date, and internet shutdowns in Pakistan have come around protests before.

Reports differ on Islamabad and on 26 September

Several reports say mobile and internet services will be suspended in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Attock on both 26 and 27 September. The Punjab request described in other reports covers only named places in Rawalpindi and Attock, starting 27 September. We could not confirm either version.

The difference matters if you live in Islamabad. Islamabad Capital Territory is not part of Punjab, so a Punjab Home Department letter cannot cover it. Any cut in Islamabad would need its own federal decision. We found no document for one.

Saturday 26 September was the other open question. The reports that give specific places all start on 27 September. The 26 September date appears only in reports that give no place list and name no official. With the march reported to have moved, both dates are now less likely.

One report on 23 September also said services in the area were working normally at the time, with no official notice issued. That was still the position on PTA's own pages on 25 September.

Several universities in the twin cities moved classes online

We read notices from two universities. International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) moved all Friday 25 September classes online. PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi moved all degree classes online from 24 September until further orders. Several others have done the same, according to reports.

The IIUI circular, No. IIUI/ACAD/2026-6160 dated 24 September, cites "the prevailing situation in the twin cities" and moves classes to Google Classroom on the normal timetable. The PMAS-Arid homepage notice cites "the prevailing law and order situation in Rawalpindi and Islamabad".

These universities are reported to have moved online, but we did not find the notice on their own websites:

• COMSATS University: Islamabad, Wah and Attock campuses, until further instructions.
• HITEC University Taxila: until further instructions.
• Air University: Islamabad and Kamra campuses, plus Fazaia Medical College, from Friday to Sunday.
• Bahria University: E-8 and H-11 campuses in Islamabad, 25 to 27 September.
• Others: the Khyber Medical University and Hamdard University campuses in Islamabad.

Allama Iqbal Open University staff at its main campus and twin cities regional centre are reported to be working from home on 25 and 28 September. Online classes need internet, though. If cuts do happen, students in Taxila, Wah and Attock may not be able to join, so ask your department how attendance will be counted.

No university had announced a return to campus when we checked on Friday evening. At 18:15 PKT, the PMAS-Arid homepage still said classes stay online "until further orders". The IIUI circular covered Friday 25 September only, and we found no newer IIUI notice for next week. Check your university's own website before Monday 28 September.

FPSC postponed interviews and the CSS psychological assessment

The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) has postponed interviews set for 24, 25 and 28 September, and the CSS 2026 psychological assessment in Islamabad on 25 and 28 September. It cited road closures and the law and order situation. New dates will be announced later.

We read all three notices on fpsc.gov.pk on 25 September.

1. Notice of 23 September: interviews on 24 and 25 September under Interview Programmes 120/2026 and 122/2026 (Lahore), 121/2026 and 123/2026 (Islamabad) and 124/2026 (Peshawar) are postponed.
2. Notice of 24 September, CE wing: the CSS CE-2026 psychological assessment "scheduled on 25.9.2026 and 28.9.2026 at Islamabad (Phase-I) stands postponed".
3. Notice of 24 September, Programme Management Directorate: interviews on Monday 28 September under Programmes 125/2026, 127/2026 and 128/2026 (Islamabad), 126/2026 (Lahore) and 129/2026 (Karachi) are postponed. These were for Vice Principal (BS-18) posts in the former Federal Government schools.

The 28 September notice says candidates "will be informed about the rescheduled dates" later. Notice that Karachi is on the list too. The reason given is the law and order situation and road closures, not the internet.

FPSC added more notices on 25 September, and we read them at 18:15 PKT. They postpone 28 September interviews and personal hearings for Lecturer (Female) BS-17 posts in Islamabad Model Colleges, for Senior Elementary Teacher (Drawing) posts and for Vice Principal posts, "due to administrative reasons". A test for a Professor post was also postponed on 24 September. None of the notices gives a new date yet.

You can still prepare in case mobile service is cut

If you live or work in Taxila, Wah, Attock or along the M-1, it still makes sense to be ready. The march has moved, not ended. Download what you need, save key numbers, and find a Wi-Fi connection. The reported requests name mobile networks only.

A jammed signal stops calls and SMS as well as data, because 2G carries voice. That includes calls to emergency numbers like 1122 and 15 from a mobile phone. A landline or a Wi-Fi calling app on home broadband may still get through. Bank apps, JazzCash, Easypaisa and ride-hailing apps all need data, so it helps to know what still works when mobile internet is down before any cut.

It is worth doing a few simple things now:

• Download bank statements, e-tickets, boarding passes and any exam or interview letter.
• Write down the phone numbers of family, your doctor and your office on paper.
• Tell family where you will be on busy days and agree a time to call.
• Keep some cash. Some card machines in shops run on mobile data.

If you plan to travel, remember that Punjab's Section 144 order banning gatherings of five or more runs until 5 October, according to reports. A slow connection is also easy to confirm: you can check your internet speed and compare it with a normal day.

Common questions

Will mobile internet be off in Islamabad on 26 and 27 September?

It now looks less likely, but it is not confirmed either way. PTI has reportedly moved its march to October, and no federal order for Islamabad had been published by the evening of 25 September.

Has the PTI march been postponed?

Party sources say yes, to 4 October in most reports and 5 October in one. K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is expected to announce it formally. That had not happened when we last checked.

Are the M-1 and GT Road open again?

Not yet. At 18:17 PKT on 25 September the motorway police board showed the M-1 from Swabi to Islamabad, the M-14 and the GT Road at Attock Khurd still closed both ways.

Which areas of Rawalpindi are named?

Reports name Brahma Bahtar to the M-1, Ganjo, Ahata, Taxila City, Wah Saddar, Thallian and Chakri. Other places in Rawalpindi are to be named separately.

Has PTA confirmed the suspension?

No. PTA had published nothing about it by 18:16 PKT on 25 September. Its officials said on 23 September it would act only on federal instructions.

Will home Wi-Fi and fibre internet work?

Probably. The reported requests cover 2G, 3G and 4G mobile networks. None mentions fixed broadband, but no official has said so either.

Are universities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad closed?

Several have moved classes online rather than closing. IIUI and PMAS-Arid have posted notices. COMSATS, HITEC, Air and Bahria universities are reported to have done the same. None had announced a return to campus by Friday evening.

When will FPSC hold the postponed interviews?

FPSC has not said. Its notices, including new ones added on 25 September, say new dates will be announced later, so check fpsc.gov.pk for updates.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

First published at 12:04 PKT and last checked at 18:17 PKT on Friday 25 September 2026. The PTI postponement and its new date come from party sources quoted in news reports, which differ between 4 and 5 October; no formal announcement had been made. The federal "wait and see" decision on internet services is reported only. The Punjab request, its place list, dates and the 9am or midnight start time also come from news reports, which differ on whether Islamabad and 26 September are included. We did not see the request itself. The Interior Ministry site refused our connection and the Punjab Home Department site did not load. The PTA press release list showed no suspension notice at 18:16 PKT, newest item 24 September. Road status is from the NHMP travel advisory, read at 18:17 PKT. Section 54 is quoted from the PTA Act 1996 as published on PTA's website. We read the postponement notices on the FPSC website, the IIUI circular of 24 September on iiu.edu.pk, and the PMAS-Arid notice on uaar.edu.pk. Other university moves are reported only.