Government Looks Into Internet Outrage in Pakistan

According to the Minister of State for Information Technology, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the government has asked for a report regarding internet problems. Many people in different cities in Pakistan said their internet was slow or not working well. The government wants to know what is going on.

Business Owners Complain About Slow Internet

The day before, businesspeople and internet companies said that the speed of the internet was very slow throughout Pakistan. According to them, this has been done so that the government can monitor the internet traffic more closely. This has turned out to be a huge problem for businesses, and some are already considering shifting to another country.

How Bad Is the Internet Problem?

Wispap, the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan, says that over the last several weeks it has become 30 to 40 percent slower. This has really been affecting many businesses.

What the Minister Said

Minister Khawaja told reporters that the government has asked the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and other key stakeholders to provide information about how bad the internet problems are, what’s causing slow internet, and how it is affecting internet traffic for the last two weeks.

She said, “The internet should never be slow”, adding that the government wants to bring faster 5G internet to Pakistan.

They talk about how to speed up the Internet.

Is the Government Watching Internet Traffic?

A number of people believe that the government is establishing a kind of “firewall” to monitor what the general public does on the Internet. The minister said:

The government is simply upgrading its web management system

This is quite normal and happens in many countries

It’s for making the internet safer

– This is possible because of the cyber security threats imposed by the government

Which Apps Are Facing Issues?

People reported that many of them faced issues while opening Facebook and WhatsApp last week. The above-mentioned applications were too slow or sometimes did not work at all.

What Does the PTA Say?

The PTA stated:

– They have not installed a firewall

– Nobody has so far even complained about network-related problems

Where Are the Internet Problems Taking Place?

Downdetector, one of the online platforms that documents cases when the internet goes down:

– The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited has the most numerous problems

– Other companies include Zong, Nayatel, and Fiberlink

 These problems were a bit more centered or concentrated in well-known cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Islamabad, and Multan.