Internet in GBAO is still not restored

In Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, there is still no internet connection, although authorities promised that they would restore it soon after a reached agreement, a source in Khorog told Asia-Plus.

Photo: Internet

Earlier, during negotiations with the protesters, authorities promised to meet all their demands.

“After the negotiations, we were promised that the internet connection would be restored, but a day has passed and there is still no internet. Yesterday they promised that today, November 30, by 1 PM it would be restored, but that deadline has passed and there is still no internet. So far, no one is explaining anything,” the source said.

According to the source, they fear that if the authorities do not fulfill the simple point of the agreement regarding the restoration of the internet, they may not comply with other points either.

Golib Niyatbekov, a representative of the GBAO administration, also confirmed at 3 PM on November 30 that there is still no internet in the region.

The Communications Service did not comment on the situation to the Asia-Plus information resource. The first deputy head of the Service, Ilkhomjon Atoev, refused to provide a comment on this topic over the phone.

Residents of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region living outside it also reported to the Bomdod agency that there is still no mobile connection or internet in the region.

“Numerous natives of GBAO living outside the region reported in conversations that they still cannot reach their relatives in Khorog and other parts of Badakhshan. Access to mobile communication and the internet is only available to those who have ‘Afghan’ SIM cards, meaning they are subscribers of mobile companies in Afghanistan. It was through the SIM cards of neighboring Afghan mobile companies that news, videos, and photos were sent outside GBAO during the days of protests in Khorog. It was impossible to do this with local SIM cards,” the message states.

It should be noted that protests in Khorog began on November 25 after the death of a resident of Roshtkala District, Gulbidin Ziyobekov. Residents of the city accused law enforcement agencies of his murder and brought his body to the main square of Khorog, demanding an investigation into his death.

The protests in Khorog ended on the evening of November 28, with no one remaining in the square near the city administration, and everyone went home.