It is perplexing that in a modern democracy, the Minister of State for Information and Technology is unaware of the reasons behind the ongoing disruption in the country’s internet services for the past month. It is even more bewildering that the information minister has had to ask the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to investigate the issue. This situation raises serious concerns about the transparency and competence of those in power.
The PTA itself has stated that it will be assessing the situation, which leads us to the troubling conclusion that no one in the country seems to know why this is happening. This defies logic, especially given the government’s insistence on tackling digital terrorism and online misinformation. The PTA has publicly committed to installing software to combat misinformation and has announced plans to implement new checks to prevent VPNs from accessing restricted content. It is difficult to believe that, after these measures have gone wrong, the PTA is truly unaware of the cause.
In previous instances of internet outages, the PTA has been quick to identify the problem, often attributing it to damaged cables or other IT infrastructure issues. As anyone in the IT industry knows, it is usually straightforward to locate and fix such disruptions. However, the government’s and PTA’s feigned ignorance appears manufactured and deliberate, likely to avoid admitting that one of their own initiatives has backfired.
The fact that our ministers have been questioned by both the Senate and the High Court without providing any clear answers indicates the seriousness of the issue. The government must not keep this under wraps or leave the public in the dark about what is happening. The people have a right to know, especially when such a significant step has caused extreme disruptions. According to the Pakistan Software House Association, these disruptions could result in Pakistan losing up to $300 million in external revenue.
The public deserves to be involved in this matter, and the government needs to be open and honest with its citizens before implementing such drastic measures.
