Internet Issues in Pakistan
Before the advent of technology, an average Pakistani citizen fought two battles: to be heard and to resist being silenced. In 2024, the average Pakistani citizen fights the same battles, but on the minefield of irregular Internet connectivity, shutdowns, and halted access to social media.
While disruptions in internet connectivity are not an unusual occurrence in Pakistan, the country is fast approaching its tenth month of sustained Internet shutdowns. As users face issues downloading messages on WhatsApp or accessing X despite the Sindh High Court ruling that the service should be re-established and the public grapples to make sense of the exodus of this necessity from their lives, the government continues denying allegations of a Chinese-style national internet firewall. Instead, it continues to blame the public’s overuse of VPNs, even though only 30% of Pakistan’s public is currently using them to access social media.
Other government officials have cited “technical failures” and “security concerns” over its use, ahead of Imran Khan’s arrest. In almost a year of the shutdown, the public has not been provided with a single concrete reason for why they are having to suffer from this lack of Internet access. This incident highlights two prominent issues: the lack of appropriate regularisation of the online space, making it a particularly futile silencing tool for the government, and the fact that even political parties that advocate Pakistan’s technology exports think it’s fair game to use the same tool to plunge the public into digital darkness.
Restricted Political Expression
With technology seeping into politics, it has become an even more classic playground. The victim becomes the bully, and the cycle repeats itself. By withholding access to X, the government concurrently and constructively restrains the public ability for meaningful political expression as well as the right to free expression. In an information age where any material has the potential for “virality” in a couple of minutes, enacting mobilised support, these activities effectively sever the primary means of communication for citizens.
It is not a new strategy, but a reflection of tools used by authoritarian regimes that deploy internet blackouts to harness dissent at pivotal political periods. The implications of such shutdowns surpass the simple political concerns; they endanger the very foundation of democratic participation. In a country where media sources are subjected to growing censorship, online forums have emerged as essential venues for political activism and free expression. Such iron-handed policing not only minutely prevents the sounding of dissent but rather vigorously encourages an atmosphere of self-censorship on the part of the public.
Internet Shutdowns & Their Effects on the Economy
The cost of silence is not restricted to political freedom alone; the economy is a harrowing reflection of the shutdowns. Approximately 125 million people have been affected by the shutdown across the country, and the largest toll has been on the business sector, ahead of the $1 billion IMF bailout.
Reports in Pakistani media highlight that the telecommunication sector had suffered a loss of $2.85m since May, and is set to lose at least $3m a day until the restrictions are lifted, while the government has lost nearly $1m in tax revenue. Apart from the threat of a mass departure of IT companies from the country due to operational challenges, the country also faces the threat of a severe loss of investor confidence in its economy.
According to the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, a 24-hour suspension of internet services leads to a financial setback of 1.3 billion rupees ($15.6m), equivalent to a remarkable 0.57 percent of the nation’s average daily Gross Domestic Product. Furthermore, Pakistan has the world’s third-largest freelancing base, an arena that has provided sustenance to 2.3 million economically impoverished individuals.
Owing to the internet shutdowns, Fiverr users are reporting an increased disruption in their order delivery, and many have lost access to their freelancing profiles. In the absence of any union for freelance workers, the detrimental effects of this issue become even more pronounced.
These repeating power cuts are badly affecting long-term industry trends and development patterns of Pakistan’s digital economy. In today’s era of globalisation, a strong digital infrastructure is needed to be at par with the competition. However, Pakistan stays far behind because of prevailing curbs that erode investor confidence and further dent the country’s ability to attract FDI, something which has faced a harsh reality continuously.
Restrictive internet access works against not only the IT and freelance industries but also portrays a sense of instability to foreign stakeholders. Investors are gun-shy about committing to a sector in which, when viewed from the market’s perspective, digital upheaval is marred by unsettling regularity. It’s too unpredictable, they reason, and too risky for businesses. And they’re not wrong.
Since our favourite national sport appears to be keeping score against our neighbour, it’s useful to note that India has invested massively in its digital infrastructure and become a global powerhouse in the IT industry. With consistent internet access and inviting policies toward tech innovations, India is generally viewed as a very secure and stable market by both internal and external investors.
A Comparison with the Neighbors
The other side of this coin would be countries like Afghanistan and Iran, which have high levels of internet censorship and control. Their digital economies therefore are small and underdeveloped, with minimal access to global markets and far less advanced technology compared to those available in other parts of the world. With the persistent pursuit of control over connectivity, Pakistan runs the risk of falling into the same trajectory. These are not just technical roadblocks to its digital economy; they are systemic and take away from the country’s potential to emerge as a key player in the global digital economy.
Pakistan has to strike a fine balance between preserving the spirit of digital freedom and retaining national security. Once a luxury, the internet is now integral to individual freedom, political expression, and economic success. Laws that can contribute towards the protection of the country sans limiting the rights of people are to be drafted, considering emerging petitions to constitutionally declare internet access as an extension of the right to Article 19.
The country has to intently come to terms with this fact—in the digital age, connectivity is a basic requirement for success. A future that cuts off access to information closes off growth itself, and if Pakistan wants to keep in step with the world, it cannot afford to leave its citizens disconnected. Technology is ever-evolving, and though evolution seems to evade many aspects of Pakistani politics, this is one field where it will have to be willing to progress. If we do not take these steps now, very soon it will be too late, and we will have to tell the government, “I told you so.”
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
Iman Attique is a student at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. She currently serves as the president of LUMS Daily Student, Pakistan’s leading student-run journalism society and campus newspaper.
Jovera Shakeel is a final-year student at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.
