No internet

Is this the final countdown? Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) officials have announced that internet speed issues will be over by October 20, once again allowing users to have a seamless experience. But this is not enough to instil hope in people who are sceptical of these deadlines. Since May 2023, authorities have been tinkering with the internet to apparently maintain stability across the country. But this ill-thought-out approach has cost a lot to our Digital Pakistan brand, with most people fearing that companies may outsource their work to other countries in the region and skip Pakistan altogether. In August, a nationwide internet disruption led IT experts to warn authorities of the irreversible repercussions of the government’s feud with the internet. Officials first blamed sharks that somehow managed to figure out internet cables in the deep blue sea connecting Pakistan and deliberately chewed them off. Then, the blame was shifted from the oblivious sharks to VPN-dependent internet users, with the authorities coming up with bizarre analogies to explain how increased VPN use had negatively affected internet speed. The blame was then shifted onto an upgrade process where authorities shared that since Pakistan is exposed to cybersecurity threats, they are upgrading the web management system (WMS) to improve web security. On October 10, users of one cellular service faced unexpected internet outages. While things were back to normal, reports say that industry insiders pointed to the WMS for the disruption. So, why are authorities choosing a system that affects internet operations?

Digital rights activists see this attack on the internet as the government’s attempt to crush dissent. This may be true since most developing countries often use a blanket ban on the internet to battle any opposition. It was perhaps such fears that led to the unannounced ban on X (formerly Twitter). That social media platforms have been weaponized by certain political groups is a legitimate concern, but what the government is doing is a lazy way out. Instead of dealing with the root cause of the spread of misinformation and fake news online, the government is shooting the messenger – a tactic that will backfire someday.

Over the last few years, and thanks to the work done by the IT association and IT ministry in the country, many companies in the developed world see Pakistan as a tech destination. And while they acknowledge the country’s internet problems, they cannot lend a sympathetic ear to workers from Pakistan for too long. Companies will eventually be forced to look to markets for outsourcing their work. A couple of months back, internet disruptions affected the stock exchange as well where at least five per cent of online transactions were affected. The country cannot afford that to happen. Pakistan’s political problems are huge, but they demand an out-of-the-box approach. Banning apps or deliberately slowing down the internet speed affects the entire digital ecosystem, paralyzing online businesses and affecting the performance of freelancers.