Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Wednesday said the government did not “deny user challenges” resulting from slow internet speeds, claiming improvements in the tech sector, as lawmakers of ally PPP criticised measures resulting in internet issues.

In recent months, users have experienced sluggish speeds, difficulty downloading media on WhatsApp, and intermittent connectivity issues.

Digital analysts say the government has been testing a “firewall” that monitors some platforms and gives the power to block content, like photos or videos of rallies shared on WhatsApp. The government has said a ‘web management system’ is being updated for increased cyber security.

Earlier this month, as users reported widespread issues accessing social media services, at least two online tools negated the government’s claims of uninterrupted internet.

Responding to a question during NA’s Question Hour today, Khawaja said, “We do not deny that there have been challenges in user experience in the last couple of months.

“But there are certain realities that we have to consider. There is a need to correct perceptions,” the IT minister asserted.

Her response came after PPP MNAs Abdul Qadir Patel and Shazia Marri expressed strong reservations about the ongoing internet situation in the country, including the ban on X and the firewall.

Khawaja noted that the average internet speed had improved by 28 per cent, citing an annual report by the Pakistan Telecommu­nication Authority (PTA) for 2023-24.

She added that the usage of mobile data services surged by 24pc and IT exports in November increased by 25pc year-on-year.

Khawaja said there were “various reasons” that posed challenges, including congestion of the internet, spectrum availability issues, and less than 2pc “fiberisation” (use of optical fibre cables) in the country.

“Fixed lines were not closed even in the case of internet disruption due to security concerns,” the minister of state said.

Khawaja said Pakistan’s internet runs at 274 megahertz, which provided limited accessibility and the government was trying to enhance spectrum density to the level of the region’s top ten countries, Radio Pakistan reported.

It quoted her as saying that four more under-sea cables would be laid down in the next two years to improve internet connectivity and speed.

Khawaja recalled that during the Shan­ghai Cooperation Organi­sation (SCO) summit in Islamabad in October when security was at the “highest alert”, she received a call from the chairman of software body P@sha of difficulties faced by businesses, at which their offices were opened.

While asserting that the government would not compromise on “unlocking opportunities”, Khawaja stated: “There is nothing above national security.”

She stressed the need to strengthen Pakistan’s cyber security landscape to prevent cyber-attacks, data leakage, and “digital strikes from hostile elements and states”, Radio Pakistan reported.

PPP assails govt on internet issues

Responding to Khawaja’s explanation on the ban on X, Patel remarked: “We thought she would know better why the internet has been completely ruined in this country.

“Take X, Y, or Z — voice notes and pictures do not load here. What firewall are you implementing that could not be activated until now?”

Decrying that businesses were suffering massive losses and students’ academics were being affected, the PPP lawmaker said, “Whatever you want to do, get it done already.”

Noting that the Cabinet division was stated as responsible for the internet fiasco, he said he would not like to hold Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif responsible for it, adding: “You should admit that you are responsible for it.”

“When will the internet start functioning at full speed? Please answer this.”

Responding to this, Parliamentary Secretary for Cabinet Secretariat Sajid Mehdi again cited “security issues” in the country, adding that the ban on X would be removed whenever the interior ministry ordered so.

“They know better when the [security] conditions would improve or whether they are fine or not [currently],” Mehdi said.

In her remarks, Marri said, “There could not be a bigger tragedy for the parliament than this that today we are debating who would answer us on behalf of the government on an important issue.”

Stating that officials were throwing the ball in each other’s court, the PPP MNA remarked: “There is also something called collective responsibility.”

Referring to the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill tabled in the lower house days ago, Marri quipped: “I was laughing the day that bill was introduced that what internet and digital Pakistan are we talking about when there is no internet facility?”

She continued, “The responsible people here are telling users that their internet service provider might be at fault but the internet is okay.

“I’m tired of hearing the term firewall […] We are no longer capable of talking about e-commerce,” the lawmaker lamented.

Marri, however, acknowledged that there was a “need to exercise freedom of speech with responsibility”. “We cannot give a license to people that there are no boundaries for what they say.”

Highlighting the “collateral damage” being done by the measures, she said: “I condemn those who have spread destruction by using the internet for terrorism or harassment […] but those who are not doing so, you are punishing them.”

‘No curtailment of freedom of expression’

Speaking at the outset of the session, noting that the PTA performed its regulatory duties, Khawaja reiterated that social media platform X had been banned based on the directives and concerns of the interior ministry.

“The ministry of IT, to be honest, does not have a direct role in it,” she claimed.

Refuting claims that X had been banned to “curtail freedom of expression”, Khawaja contended that the top platforms widely used in Pakistan were Facebook and TikTok — which are still functioning — while X was used by “even less than two per cent” of Pakistanis.

“In my opinion, no other country has as much freedom of expression as there is in [Pakistan],” the minister claimed, adding: “Public office holders are considered public property. There is no cognisance of the allegations levied on us and the language used for us.”