ISLAMABAD – Internet services in several Pakistani cities, including the federal capital Islamabad and Peshawar, were severely disrupted on Tuesday due to a fire that damaged a fiber optic cable.
The fire, which occurred near the Ninth Avenue bridge in the I-9 Sector of Islamabad, caused significant connectivity issues in Islamabad, Peshawar, Murree, and Abbottabad. According to initial investigations, a group of unknown individuals set fire to an underground fiber optic cable.
The blaze was eventually brought under control by noon, but the damage led to widespread internet outages. Officials are currently working on the repair and maintenance of the damaged cable, which experts estimate will take a few more hours to fully restore services.
The incident has also resulted in financial losses amounting to millions of rupees, affecting the banking, telecom, and other sectors. Fiber optics experts noted that this was the fourth or fifth such incident in recent months, highlighting a troubling pattern of sabotage targeting the country’s digital infrastructure.
