TWO news stories reported in the local media in recent days lay bare the extent to which the ruling set-up is willing to go in order to silence an increasingly agitated public.

The first concerns an internet firewall that the authorities have reportedly started implementing in secret, which will allow them to spy on everything Pakistani users are posting or consuming on the internet. The second pertains to the draconian anti-defamation bill introduced by the PML-N government in Punjab, which was signed into law on Saturday by the acting governor of the province, despite the strong reservations of press freedom and human rights activists.

These developments have come as a chilling reminder that the noose is being tightened around the freedoms of speech and expression, guaranteed by our Constitution, in ways not yet fully understood by ordinary citizens. The concern here is not that citizens should be allowed to say or consume whatever they wish: after all, as citizens, they are bound by this country’s laws. Rather, the fear is that these tools are only going to be used for selective policing and targeting of anyone who disagrees with the powers that be.

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Reports of the state’s furtive implementation of an internet firewall, which reportedly aims to replicate the Great Firewall deployed by China to police internet traffic, are alarming.

According to what has been reported, the state has begun deploying various technologies that will enable it to monitor what any user is saying, hearing or reading on the internet. There are two burning questions that must be asked here: what is the reason that this immensely intrusive measure is being implemented in secret, and are Pakistani citizens comfortable with their state watching them constantly? With great power comes great responsibility, as they say.

However, our state has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted to keep within lawful limits. This is, after all, a country where even judges’ bedrooms are not safe from prying eyes. The fear is that once the rollout is successful, no internet user will be safe from constant surveillance.

The potential for abuse is far too immense; therefore, before this project is completed, it must be brought under scrutiny in the appropriate forums. Pakistan cannot afford to give authoritarians more means to extend their control over its people.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2024