State Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja referred to allegations claiming that the government was restricting the internet as “completely false” on Sunday, following disruptions to the nation’s internet and rumors of firewall installations.
On Thursday, Khawaja announced that following reports from Pakistani citizens in different cities about problems with internet access, the government has directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and other pertinent organizations to submit a report. To address cyber security concerns, she further stated that the government was updating its “web management system.”
Her remarks were made the day after the business community and ISPs claimed that the government’s increased attempts to monitor internet traffic, which included the installation of a so-called “firewall,” had caused a major countrywide slowdown in services and caused economic losses. On August 21, the Lahore High Court issued a summons to the information ministry, the PTA, and the federal government for internet outages.
During a press conference held in Islamabad today, Khawaja acknowledged the public’s recent frustration with internet-related problems. She declared, “I want to reassure the public that the state has not slowed down or shut down the internet.” “It is entirely untrue that reports claiming the internet was being throttled are out of date. Because only a few services on specific applications were having trouble downloading, a sizable portion of the public began utilizing VPNs.
According to her explanation, a lot of users who use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to connect directly to live servers instead of using local caches or Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) place extra strain on those servers, which might eventually cause the internet to slow down. You might observe that your phone automatically slows down, even if you are using a VPN. This is because the pressure from the extra traffic caused the internet to slow down for a few days,” the speaker stated.
“I swear under penalty of law that the government did not slow down or shut down the internet.” Khawaja asserted that discussions with telecom firms and Internet service providers (ISPs) had taken place as part of the government’s “tireless effort” to find a solution. She noted that to “make sure that users in the country do not face similar problems again,” a meeting with the PTA has also been planned for next week.
“There is no truth to the rumor that the government is throttling the internet to suppress dissent,” she emphasized once more. Additionally, the minister asked people to “speak responsibly” about Pakistan because it was a “critical resource” and debates concerning it needed to be handled carefully. According to her, careless speech can harm the sector, discourage investment, harm independent contractors, and severely affect Pakistan’s standing internationally.
She also mentioned the nation’s problems with the telecom industry’s state, which are a result of limited funding. “The government is dedicated to funding this industry, creating policies, and investing in digitization,” Khawaja declared.
