PAKISTAN’S ranking in the Freedom on the Net 2024 report as a ‘not free’ country, however unfortunate, comes as no surprise. Scoring a dismal 27 out of 100, Pakistan is now listed alongside nations notorious for their curbs on online freedoms, such as China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. The global decline in internet freedom for the 14th consecutive year is particularly pronounced in Pakistan, where the digital space has become increasingly stifled by state-imposed restrictions. Our low ranking stems from severe actions that checked seven out of the eight restrictive criteria outlined by Freedom House. The report highlights how the government has disrupted internet connectivity, blocked access to social media platforms, and censored websites hosting political, social, or religious content. Furthermore, internet users here allegedly face dire consequences for exercising their online rights, with instances of imprisonment and even physical violence in retaliation.

A significant concern, the report notes, is the manipulation of online discourse through pro-government commentators, a tactic deployed to shape public opinion. The report also indicates that the 2024 polls in Pakistan saw the rampant use of both offline and online tactics to suppress opposition, a stark reflection of how the state seeks to control not just physical spaces but virtual ones too. The erosion of digital freedoms is particularly worrisome in a country where internet access remains a crucial lifeline for news, activism, and dissent. This slide towards authoritarianism threatens not only individual freedoms but democracy itself. In the face of these curbs, the need for a free, safe, and open internet is more urgent than ever. The government must restore access to social media platforms, and reform laws that criminalise online expression. Greater transparency is needed around surveillance. The state must realise that in its zeal to ‘manage’ the web, it is incurring a great opportunity cost of an informed populace, a burgeoning economy and progress.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2024