Increased surveillance, firewall system, “digital terrorism”… fear of censorship is growing in Pakistan as the internet slows down

WhatsApp is apparently in the firing line because of the encryption of exchanges which ensures their total confidentiality.

Islamabad High Court seized

The Pakistani government and telecommunications authorities – headed by a retired general – have refused to comment on the internet slowdown for weeks. It was finally the defence minister who acknowledged what millions of Pakistanis already knew.

“We are going through a transition period, after which all these services will be available,”, Khawaja Muhammad Asif told reporters this week.”“But there will be some controls to prevent the dissemination of threatening and defamatory content against the state and individuals,”, he added, without specifying whether this involved a firewall.

Hamid Mir, a prominent Pakistani journalist, has petitioned the High Court Islamabad over "the government's apparent installation of a firewall" . The court is expected to hear the case on Monday.

"Digital Terrorism"

The controversy comes as the army, the most powerful institution in the country, says it is grappling with "digital terrorism&quot ;. But analysts believe that the main target of the current digital campaign is none other than the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, still very popular and supported by young and digital-savvy supporters.

Experts are also concerned about the impact of the internet slowdown on the Pakistani economy. "If this continues, we will see companies leaving Pakistan en masse", says Shahzad Arshad, head of the Suppliers Association internet access from Pakistan. “Connections slowed in August by 40% compared to last month,”, he added.

International Monetary Fund Aid Programs

After years of political instability, Pakistan's economy has been caught in cycles of International Monetary Fund (IMF) aid programs — the latest in July, and the 24th since 1958, of $7 billion — and loans from its neighbors.

The country is also counting on foreign investment to get out of the economic slump.

"The ambiguity and incomprehensible opacity on the firewall"undermine the country's economic potential and could cost the information technology sector up to $300 million, according to the Pakistan Software Companies Association, which represents IT companies.

Conservative country and limited freedom of expression

But even as the internet and WhatsApp were experiencing slowdowns, Pakistan's Punjab province did not hesitate to take out an ad in New York's Times Square in early August to market itself as a “city of ’IT".

Political activists have been criticizing government interventions that tend to censor the internet and the media for some time, in a conservative country where freedom of expression is already limited. The X platform has been banned in Pakistan since the February parliamentary elections, when it spread accusations of fraud against Imran Khan’s party, which was ultimately ousted from power by a coalition backed by the military.

The party’s digital team, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has also been targeted for arrest and detention.

Shahzad Ahmad, head of Bytes for All, an independent digital rights body, said the firewall “will create distrust among IT investors in Pakistan and compromise the fundamental rights of citizens".