• IT minister denies any attempt to limit web access, claims problems stem from users trying to bypass local network
• Says issue lasted ‘a few days’ and has been fixed now; announces new PM-led body for digitalisation of services
• Four new internet cables being laid; 5G spectrum auction to be held early next year

KARACHI: The country’s information techno­logy minister on Sunday categorically denied rep­orts the government was throttling the internet.

Internet speeds witnes­sed a considerable decline over the past few weeks, and users are facing difficulties in sending or down­loading media and voice notes through WhatsApp when connected to mobile data, and experiencing slow browsing speeds, even on broadband.

The business community and internet service providers (ISPs) had alleged that the government’s efforts to monitor internet traffic had caused the slowdown of digital services, resulting in economic losses.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday, Shaza Fatima Khawaja acknowledged the public’s frustration regarding internet issues.

“I want to reassure the public that the internet has neither been shut down nor slowed down by the state,” she said.

Denying the government’s involvement, she claimed internet speeds were reduced because a large number of people had switched to virtual private networks (VPNs) to access certain apps.

“The issue was limited to a few services on certain apps not downloading, which led a large segment of the population to start using VPNs,” the minister said without either naming the apps or the services which were disrupted.

VPNs are widely used around the world to access content that may be inaccessible or blocked for internet users in their home country.

The minister explained that when a large number of people used VPNs to bypass Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) or local caches and connect directly to live servers, it put additional pressure on the system and ultimately slowed down the internet.

“I can say under oath that the government neither shut down nor slowed down the internet,” she said, adding that the issue lasted “for a few days”.

However, the government didn’t even acknowledge there was a problem until last week, when both Ms Khawaja and her uncle, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif spoke about the issue.

When Ms Khawaja was asked about these disruptions after the meeting of a Senate Standing Committee on Thursday, she said the issue had been blown out of proportion.

The government has been operating a ‘web management system’ which is now being upgraded, she had said.

But while she used vague terminology to define the government’s actions, Mr Asif ackn­o­wledged official efforts to mon­itor content on social media.

“We are undergoing a transition after which all these facilities will be available to you,” Mr Asif told media last week, adding: “There will be some controls to prevent threatening and defamatory content against the state and individuals”, without confirming whether those controls were part of a firewall.

‘Issue resolved’

On Sunday, the IT minister claimed she was commenting on the issue now as it “has been resolved today” and didn’t want to make any statement based on “incomplete information”.

She added that the government had been “working tirelessly” to resolve the issue and has held meetings with ISPs and telecom companies.

A meeting had also been scheduled with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority next week to “ensure that users in the country do not face similar problems again.”

But the minister didn’t comment on reports about the installation of a national “firewall” — a security system that monitors network traffic but can also be used to control online spaces — which has been widely blamed for slowed broadband connectivity.

Govt initiatives

In her press conference, Ms Khawaja also listed several initiatives to boost the IT industry and expedite the digitalisation of the government machinery.

She said the government plans to auction 5G spectrums early next year to make high-speed internet “affordable” and “accessible” to people.

For better bandwidth, she said four new internet cables, connecting Pakistan to the Gulf and Africa, are being laid.

According to Ms Khawaja, the government is focusing on the digitalisation of bureaucracy. For that purpose, a draft bill to form a National Digital Commission has been sent to the Law Ministry.

The new body, to be chaired by the prime minister, will oversee the digitalisation of the economy and governance.

This digital intervention will eliminate the need for paperwork, and the bottlenecks in governance and administrative functioning will be addressed.

Support for IT industry

The minister added that Rs60 billion has been allocated for IT projects in this fiscal year’s budget, of which Rs4bn will be spent on the training of youth.

Over 300,000 youth will be trained by Chinese electronics company Huawei, while the government is also talking to Google, Microsoft and Meta to train the youth in IT-related skills.

She said that in order to cut the capital cost for small and medium IT companies, two new technology parks are being set up in Karachi and Islamabad.

A Rs2bn fund has been allocated to support and invest in startups, while a ‘BridgeStart programme’ has been planned for companies whose products have already generated commercial interest.

These companies would be sent to international accelerators for exposure and research.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2024