Pakistani Business Community & Civil Society Condemns Internet Disruption In Pakistan

All the undersigned members of the Pakistani business community and civil society are extremely troubled by the internet shutdown due to Imran Khan’s arrest. They have released a joint statement in this regard. They condemn the ongoing use of partial and complete Internet Disruption in Pakistan together with targeted content and App blocking amid the political conflict. According to them, the shutdown of Internet services inexcusably limits the freedom of expression.

Internet Disruption in Pakistan Has Caused a Negative Impact On Economy

We all know that millions of Pakistanis rely on Internet-dependent services in order to connect with each other. They rely on the Internet to undertake important business activities. It would not be wrong to say that the government of Pakistan is eroding civic space by blocking, filtering & shutting down these services. They are also disrupting access to healthcare, emergency services, and financial services.

The point notable here is that these types of Internet disruptions have a very negative impact on Pakistani startups as well. The startups undoubtedly attracted more than $700 million in investment during 2022 and 2023. They are playing a significant role in boosting entrepreneurship, job creation, and digitization across the economy. Moreover, hundreds and thousands of freelancers and digital creators have also been affected by this disruption. Let me tell you that Pakistan earned around $2 Billion in IT exports in 2022. It means it is a critical source of funding for Pakistan as it is stumbling to meet its foreign exchange needs.

The civil society and business community emphatically called on the Government of Pakistan to immediately lift restrictions. They further said that all the citizens should be given access to disseminate information online and to communicate safely and securely. Pakistani authorities need to abstain from imposing partial or complete Internet shutdowns to respect Pakistan’s international human rights obligations, including under articles 19, 21, and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Internet access is a basic fundamental right that can’t be taken away arbitrarily. This was recognized by the United Nations back in 2011 when the UN Special Rapporteur stated that all member states have a responsibility to provide unrestricted access to the Internet. So, let’s see what will be the strategy of the Pakistani government. For how long the internet services will be disrupted? The government needs to answer all these questions. Stay tuned!

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