ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Saturday criticized the government for restricting internet access, saying it was aimed at undermining PTI under the pretext of security issues.
PTI spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram said the closure of internet has considerable economic repercussions, as Pakistan ranked first globally in economic losses last year, surpassing nations such as Sudan and Myanmar, which have been severely affected by civil conflicts.
Reacting to the report, released by Top10VPN.com, an independent VPN reviewer, he said that Pakistan topped the charts with a cumulative financial impact of $1.62 billion, which was alarming, despite the fact the overall world-wide cost of internet shutdowns dropped by 15.8 percent in 2024.
Adhoc bandwidth arranged, no internet service degradation now: PTA
He lambasted the Minister of State for IT and the PTA chairman for concocting baseless and lame excuses to justify the government’s wrong, self-serving and anti-people policy of throttling internet speeds each time, as a 24-hour internet shutdown alone resulting in a staggering loss of Rs1.3 billion.
He emphasised that the government should refrain from scapegoating the internet for Pakistan’s deteriorating security situation. Instead, he argued that the root-cause lied in their misguided priorities and flawed policies, adding that during Imran Khan’s tenure, the country experienced a period of exemplary peace.
He said that the flawed policy would have far-reaching devastating economic consequences for the country including the loss of substantial foreign exchange earnings and potential business contracts.
However, he stated that the government was hell-bent on suppressing dissenting voices to conceal their own ineptitude and incompetence.
He said the “Uraan Pakistan” initiative and the upcoming 5G spectrum auction, the country’s economic flight would remain a dream until the government recognised the crucial role of investing in IT sectors, which was the main driving force to economic growth.
He highlighted that the unreliable internet connectivity in Pakistan was driving IT companies to relocate abroad, which could have long-term consequences for the country’s economy. He warned that once these companies and their clients migrate to other countries, it would be extremely challenging to lure them back, resulting in a permanent loss of business opportunities, revenue and jobs for Pakistanis.
He said that Pakistan’s IT and IT-enabled services (ITeS) sector has emerged as a key player on the global stage and it was ranked as the second most financially attractive destination for offshore outsourcing and was second largest in software and technology services, with exports rising from $1.4 billion in 2019-20 to $3.2 billion in 2023-24.
PTI CIS noted that Pakistan boasted a robust IT workforce, comprising over 300,000 English-speaking professionals and over 20,000 IT graduates and engineers joined the workforce each year.
Moreover, he stated that Pakistan was the fourth-fastest growing country in freelancing, which was the fourth largest in IT labour services globally.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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