The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) attributed the slow internet to a technical fault in the submarine cable and stated that the issue was not due to firewalls being installed. This submarine cable connects Pakistan to countries all over the world.
The Internet service providers (ISPs) blamed the government for monitoring the Internet traffic through a Firewall which had caused digital services to slow down and resulting economic loss.
The country’s information technology minister, Shaza Fatima Khawaja stated that the government was just upgrading the Web management system because of the Cyber security threats.
Users are facing difficulties in sending and downloading files and voice notes through WhatsApp while using mobile data because of the decreased internet speeds nowadays.
During today’s meeting of the National Assembly members on IT, PTA Chairman Retired Major General Hafeezur Rehman was questioned because of the complaints about slow internet across the country.
“The internet slowdown in the country is due to a faulty submarine cable, which is expected to be repaired by August 28,” Rehman said.
He also clarified that the problem was due to the government web management system instead of the firewall which was being upgraded.
“The public should be informed why internet service is affected. It should be informed whether a firewall is installed or not?” the lawmaker asked, adding that the PTA should communicate the matter with the media so that the public is informed.
On the government’s behalf, the PTA chief said VPNs were not being banned or shut down, but the companies have only been asked to register themselves.
“VPNs are not blocked in the Pakistan [as] it affects businesses” he added.
Mentioning privacy concerns regarding firewalls Gen Rehman told the National Assembly Committee that social media platforms were end-to-end encrypted and there is no such technology to access encrypted information.
