Country’s telecom authority, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), has reportedly launched an investigation into the alleged internet shutdown that occurred on Sunday, ahead of a virtual meeting of the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
Prime Minister Imran Khan, is facing corruption and immorality charges. Khan’s tenure is marred with misgovernance and inefficiency.
Nonetheless, the popular leader organized a “virtual jalsa” (meeting) on Sunday evening to rally its supporters and address their grievances.
However, many people complained about slow internet services and difficulty in accessing social media platforms such as YouTube and Twitter.
Some accused the caretaker government of deliberately shutting down the internet to prevent Khan from reaching out to his voters and influencing the upcoming elections.
This is not the first time that Pakistan has experienced internet shutdowns amid political turmoil. In May 2023, after Khan was arrested on corruption charges, the government ordered regional shutdowns of mobile internet access in several areas to quell violent protests.
The shutdowns were partial and temporary, but they disrupted mobile coverage while wired or fixed connections remained operational.
The use of internet shutdowns as a tool for suppressing dissent and limiting freedom of expression is not new either.
According to a recent report by Google’s Jigsaw project with Access Now and Censored Planet, internet shutdowns are growing “exponentially” around the world: out of nearly 850 shutdowns documented over the last 10 years, 768 have happened since 2016.
India’s government has shut off the internet more than any other—109 times in 2020 alone—and data shows that shutdowns are most common around elections and times of potential civil unrest.
The report also reveals that governments are becoming more sophisticated in how they implement internet shutdowns: using tactics such as throttling bandwidth, blocking specific websites or IP addresses, restricting mobile data services to 2G speeds, or deploying drones or jamming devices to interfere with wireless signals.
The governments usually justify these draconian measures as necessary to maintain law and order, prevent the spread of misinformation, incitement to violence and now in vogue, right to self-defense.
However, critics argued that these actions violated the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and access to information, and harmed the economy and society.
Internet shutdowns have a dramatic impact on people’s lives and human rights. They can disrupt essential services such as health care, education, banking, e-commerce, emergency response, media reporting, and humanitarian aid.
They can also hamper access to information and knowledge that are vital for democracy and development. They can also create fear, confusion, frustration, anger, and violence among citizens who feel deprived of their right to communicate freely.
The United Nations has repeatedly condemned internet shutdowns as a violation of international law and called for their immediate cessation.
The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression has stated that “internet shutdowns are not only ineffective but also counterproductive” as they “undermine public trust in democratic institutions” and “fuel resentment among those who feel excluded from public discourse”.
However, despite these calls for action from various stakeholders including governments, civil society organizations, human rights groups, media outlets, academics, celebrities, etc., there is no global consensus or legal framework to regulate or prevent internet shutdowns.
The responsibility for implementing them lies with each individual country or entity that decides to do so.
An activist said, “It is up to us – as users – to demand accountability from those who wield power over our digital lives. We should not accept silence or censorship as normal or inevitable”.
“We should use our voices – online or offline – to raise awareness about the harms caused by internet shutdowns and advocate for their abolition”.
“We should also support alternative ways of accessing information – such as satellite phones, VPNs, mesh networks, etc., that can bypass censorship barriers.”
Internet shutdowns are not only a technical problem but also a political one. They reflect how governments view their role in society: as protectors or oppressors; as facilitators or hindrances; as partners or adversaries; etc.
“We should not let them define us or limit us. We should reclaim our right to connect with each other through the most powerful tool we have: information itself.”
Leave a Reply