Pakistan has been experiencing dangerously slow internet for weeks, but it is unclear who or what is to blame.
According to activists, the state is developing a Chinese-style internet firewall in order to have more control over the online environment.
Officials have rejected the reports, blaming the slow speeds on the widespread usage of VPNs (virtual private networks).
In Pakistan and other countries of Asia, policymakers frequently shut down the internet to quell protest.
Since the riots triggered by former prime minister Imran Khan last year, the government has restricted social media platforms and throttled connection speeds to gain public support online.
Impact on Business and Economy
X, a micro-blogging platform, has been restricted since February elections owing to “national security” concerns.
Mr Khan’s party members are avid X users, and he is the most popular Pakistani on the platform, with roughly 21 million followers.
However, Shaza Fatima, Minister of State for Information Technology, stated on Sunday that the government was not responsible for the recent delay.
She stated that her staff has been “working tirelessly” with internet service providers and telcos to remedy the issue.
Ms Fatima stated that a “large population” had been using VPNs, which “strained the network, causing the internet to go slow”.
She claimed that accusations that the state was responsible for the slow connections were “completely false”.
However, Ms Fatima stated that the government has been modernising its systems to boost cyber security.
“It is the right of the government to [take such measures] given the cyber security attacks that this country has to go through,” she told the audience.
Activists, meanwhile, accuse the minister of “dodging criticism like a typical politician.”
Shahzad Ahmad, director of local digital watchdog Bytes for All, told the BBC that his agency has “ample tech evident” to demonstrate the presence of a firewall.
“It seems its purpose is to monitor online traffic… and limit dissemination [of information] in online spaces, particularly curbing political expression,” Mr. Ahmad said.
“Even if civil liberties are irrelevant, this is now about people’s livelihoods and the economy,” said Farieha Aziz, co-founder of Bolo Bhi, a local non-profit that promotes free expression online.
Business executives and associations have warned that slow connectivity may jeopardise Pakistan’s economic potential.
“The imposition of the firewall has triggered a perfect storm of challenges, with prolonged internet disconnections and erratic VPN performance threatening a complete meltdown of business operations,” according to the Pakistan Software Houses Association.
The group described this as a “direct, tangible, and aggressive assault on the industry’s viability” that might cost the IT sector up to $300 million.
“A mass exodus of IT companies is not just a possibility but an imminent reality if immediate and decisive action is not taken,” the report warned.
Activists have petitioned the Islamabad High Court to declare access to the internet a fundamental right under Pakistan’s constitution.
Source: BBC
