LAHORE: The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) delegates met with the LCCI President Kashif Anwar to discuss ongoing internet disruptions and its severe impacts on the IT sector.
The delegation, led by Central Executive Committee Member P@SHA Mudassir Saleem Malik, included key industry figures like Abdul Wahab (CEO, ABFA Technologies), Imad Malik (CEO, Cobuild), Mudassir Naeem (CEO, Peak Solutions), Iftikhar Hussain, and Aamir Iftikhar had a detailed discussion with LCCI president.
After listening to their concerns, LCCI President Kashif Anwar urged the authorities to look into the matter seriously and consult the relevant stakeholders before making any changes in the existing internet system.
“Frequent internet outages, slow speed and high cost are crippling our economy and hindering ability to compete in the global market,” said LCCI president.
Leader of the delegation, Mudassir Saleem Malik noted that “Fiverr” has even issued cautions against collaborating with freelancers in Pakistan due to these complications, which were caused due to the usage of VPNs by the freelancers to temporarily bypass the internet disruptions, however switching of IP’s always triggers an alert in the security protocol breach.
The delegation also reported that the disruption has caused significant operational downtimes in data centers, with some being offline for up to four hours.
Due to this disruption, many companies received threats from clients across the globe towards the discontinuation of business if this issue continues.
P@SHA presented alarming data from a recent survey indicating that a large number of freelancers in Pakistan are considering relocating abroad due to these internet restrictions.
Many freelancers are applying for Digital Nomad Visas offered by other countries, which allow them to work remotely from more favorable locations. This potential exodus could result in a significant economic loss, as many of these professionals are highly experienced and run businesses employing dozens of people.
They said that the ongoing brain drain, which has already seen a number of professionals leaving Pakistan in the past year, is expected to worsen, further weakening the country’s economy. The delegation criticized the lack of consultation with the IT industry before implementing these restrictive measures. They urged the authorities that the damage is done, just don’t make it worse.
They suggested that a phased approach, sand boxing or starting with smaller regions, could have minimized the impact. P@SHA warned that the current approach is causing not only financial losses but also damaging Pakistan’s reputation in the global market.
LCCI President Kashif Anwar supported P@SHA’s concerns, and urged the government to involve the IT industry in future decision-making processes.
Kashif Anwar highlighted the contradiction of promoting digitalization in businesses while internet services are deteriorating. Kashif Anwar called on the government to reconsider its policies to prevent further damage to the country’s IT sector and broader economy.
Kashif Anwar highlighted that, in today’s world, everything is online, many businesses are doing online activity besides physical presence, due to these recent unannounced yet severe disruptions, many companies are losing orders and clients, the banking network is partially disrupted and transactions are impacted transactions. He noted that websites are down and businesses are in deep trouble.
He said that foreign partners are questioning that if your country isn’t able to provide a basic necessity like the internet, how can we expect to invest in your country. He again urged the authority to consult with the business community regarding the issue.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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