Government Orders PTA and Other Agencies to Report on Internet Disruption Claims
Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja announced on Thursday that the government has instructed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and other relevant bodies to submit a comprehensive report on the recent claims of widespread internet connectivity issues across various cities in Pakistan.
This directive follows recent allegations from the business community and internet service providers, who have claimed that the government’s increased efforts to monitor internet traffic have led to a substantial nationwide slowdown in services. The Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (Wispap) reported that internet speeds have dropped by 30 to 40 percent over the past few weeks. The association has warned that the severity of the situation has led many businesses to consider relocating their operations abroad due to the disruption.
In her address to reporters, Khawaja stated that the government is actively seeking information from PTA and other relevant institutions regarding the impact of these disruptions on data traffic over the past two weeks. She emphasized that slow internet speeds are unacceptable, particularly when there are ongoing discussions about introducing 5G technology to Pakistan. “There is no doubt that we are working on improving internet speeds,” she said.
Khawaja addressed concerns about the government’s recent installation of a firewall, which has been criticized and linked to the internet disruptions. She argued that such measures are routine globally and are intended to enhance internet security. “The web-management system being upgraded by the government is a standard procedure to safeguard against cyber security threats,” she explained. “It is the government’s responsibility to take necessary actions to protect the country’s cyber infrastructure.”
Reports from users indicate that major online platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, have experienced significant slowdowns and connectivity issues since last week. Speculation has arisen that these problems are due to the government’s new firewall intended to monitor online activity.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has denied that the disruptions are linked to the firewall. According to PTA, there have been no formal complaints about internet disruptions filed with them. Dawn.com has reached out to PTA for further clarification but has not yet received a response.
Downdetector, an internet outage tracking website, has reported that the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has been the most affected by these disruptions. Services from Zong, Nayatel, and Fiberlink have also been impacted. Staff members at Dawn.com have experienced outages on Ufone and Jazz, which are part of PTCL’s network. Downdetector’s data shows a significant increase in reported outages starting around 12:30 pm, particularly in major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Islamabad, and Multan. Meta platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, also experienced a notable rise in outage complaints around 1 pm, reflecting a higher-than-usual level of disruption.
In response to these issues, the Senate’s standing committee on IT has ordered the Ministry of Information Technology to address the disruptions and ensure access to social media platforms within two weeks. During a committee session chaired by PPP Senator Palwasha Khan, both government and opposition members expressed their concerns. PTI Senator Humayun Mohmand pointed out that the disruptions are adversely affecting businesses, while PML-N’s Afnanullah Khan estimated the financial losses at around Rs500 million.
IT Secretary Aisha Humera Chaudhary acknowledged the service disruptions and suggested that they may be due to technical issues that will be resolved soon. The committee has instructed the IT ministry to provide a resolution and a detailed report on the economic impact of these internet disruptions within the stipulated timeframe. The internet server is very down in pakistan