By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s internet infrastructure suffered a major disruption on Thursday, with widespread outages reported across the country, sparking concerns over the government’s tightening grip on online activity and its impact on the economy.
The outage, affecting major online platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, follows allegations by the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (Wispap) that government efforts to monitor internet traffic have caused a significant nationwide slowdown.
Internet speeds have plummeted by 30-40 percent in recent weeks, Wispap said a day earlier, prompting businesses to consider relocating operations abroad.
The PTA has denied the issue was caused by a firewall but has yet to comment on the latest outage.
Downdetector showed a sharp spike in reported outages of Etisalat-owned PTCL services from around 12:30 pm onwards, with most outages reported in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Islamabad, and Multan. Services provided by China’s Zong and Nayatel, and Fiberlink were also affected.
Meta platforms Facebook and WhatsApp also witnessed a sharp spike in outage complaints at around 1pm. Both platforms have also seen a higher-than-usual number of outages in the past 24 hours.
Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the government had sought a report from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and other relevant institutions on the current outages.
“The internet should never be slow. There is no doubt that conversations about higher [internet] speed are ongoing.”
The Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) warned that frequent internet disruptions “could derail” Pakistan’s economic progress, citing struggles to attract and retain investment.
“The OICCI has consistently advocated for a strong digital infrastructure as the backbone of Pakistan’s economic development. However, frequent internet disruptions, such as the one currently affecting the nation… threaten this vision,” overseas investors said in a statement
“It is important to note that in 2023, Pakistani startups raised just $75.8 million across 39 deals, reflecting a sharp year-over-year decline of 77 percent in funding and 42 percent in deal volume. More significantly, freelancers generate over $1 billion in revenue for Pakistan’s economy each year, with this additional income being spent on local goods and services, thereby supporting other businesses.”
The chamber said these setbacks, coupled with recurring internet curbs, exacerbate the challenges faced by the services sector and erode investor confidence.
“With Pakistan already struggling to attract FDI, these actions risk further isolating the country from the global digital economy. The OICCI warns that such disruptions could derail Pakistan’s economic progress, stifle innovation, and severely impact the prospects for much-needed FDI—a vital component for the nation’s economic revival.”
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