Shazia Marri
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior leader Shazia Atta Marri expressed her concerns over the slow internet speeds in Pakistan during a National Assembly session in Islamabad on Wednesday.
She pointed out the irony of the government introducing the “Digital Nation Pakistan Bill” while internet services in the country are facing severe disruptions.
Marri lamented, “The internet services have been shut down in the country, but we are still pushing forward with the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill. It makes me laugh that we are bringing this bill despite the ongoing internet outages.”
Marri emphasized that the country is still struggling with technological challenges, particularly in the field of e-commerce. She remarked, “It’s been a while since we’ve heard about firewalls, and even now, we are not capable of discussing e-commerce properly.”
Her comments highlight the ongoing struggles Pakistan faces with internet infrastructure and digital development, despite ambitious plans for a digital future.
The National Assembly session also brought attention to the blocking of the social networking platform ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter).
This became a focal point of the discussion as members of the assembly raised concerns about the implications for freedom of expression, the slow internet speeds, and the broader effects on digital rights in Pakistan.
The ban on ‘X’ sparked debate over the government’s role in limiting access to platforms and its impact on digital freedoms.
Responding to these concerns, Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja addressed the House, stating that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had blocked ‘X’ on the instructions of the Interior Ministry due to security concerns.
She emphasized that the move had no connection to restricting freedom of expression, adding that less than 2% of Pakistanis use the platform. “If we wanted to limit freedom of expression, we would have banned platforms like Facebook and TikTok, which have far greater user bases,” Shaza Fatima argued.
The minister also addressed concerns about internet speed, claiming that internet usage and speed had increased by 28%. However, she explained that the current slowdowns were due to technical issues rather than any deliberate attempts to limit access.
“Today, freedom of expression is at its peak. The language used against us in this country is intolerable,” she asserted, defending the government’s actions and reiterating that the disruptions were temporary and technical.
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