State Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja categorically dismissed reports that the government was throttling the internet, stressing that the state was neither slowing down its speed nor shutting it down.“

“The report of the government throttling internet is wrong,” she stated at a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday.

“Some services of a few apps was (affected) because those services weren’t being downloaded. So a big chunk of the population started to operate on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).”

She then explained that the higher usage of VPNs for bypassing Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and connecting directly to live servers places additional strain on those servers, which may ultimately slow down the internet.

IT industry proposes cybersecurity framework

“This pressure caused a slowdown.

“I will say under oath that the government neither shut down nor slowed down the internet.”

Her remarks come days after the nation saw massive disruption in internet services, particularly in transmitting media on Meta-owned WhatsApp.

The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) earlier also released a statement, saying that Pakistan’s economy could lose up to $300 million due to internet disruptions, which it said was due to the imposition of a national firewall.

Ali Ihsan, senior vice chairman of P@SHA, said the imposition has already caused prolonged internet disconnections and erratic VPN performance, threatening a “complete meltdown of business operations”.

Several reports have suggested that Islamabad is implementing an internet firewall to monitor and regulate content and social media platforms. The government denies the use of the firewall for censorship.

Speaking to the media, Shaza Fatima Khawaja said using VPNs on phones could slow down the device itself.

“The issue has been resolved today. I did not think it was appropriate to address this issue with incomplete information.

“We worked day and night, spoke with technical experts, internet service providers (ISPs).”

Pakistan’s internet firewall could cost economy $300mn, association says

The minister added that the government has requested another meeting with ISPs, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and telecom companies in the coming week to ensure that this issue does not arise again.

“The PTA has assisted us in this entire matter.”

She also urged people to be cautious when discussing Pakistan online, stressing the importance of responsible internet usage.

Speaking recklessly can negatively impact the industry, deter investment, harm freelancers, and tarnish Pakistan’s reputation, she added.

“We have to talk about Pakistan very responsibly. The biggest thing that harms the (IT) industry is the perception.

“What happens is that there is less harm to the government. It harms the child who is freelancing and working to support their home.”

Her remarks in a Sunday presser come after AFP, citing businesses and digital rights defenders, also reported that Pakistan’s government is throttling the internet and social media.

While there was no official communication on the matter during the entire week, it was the defence minister who acknowledged what millions of Pakistanis nationwide had already guessed.

“We are undergoing a transition after which all these facilities will be available to you,” Khawaja Muhammad Asif told media earlier this week.

“But there will be some controls to prevent threatening and defamatory content against the state and individuals,” he added, without confirming whether those controls were part of a firewall.

Prominent Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir has also launched a legal challenge against the government over “the apparent installation of a firewall” at Islamabad High Court, which is due to hear the case on Monday.

Since July, internet networks have been up to 40 percent slower than normal, according to one IT association, while documents, images and voice notes have been disrupted on WhatsApp, used by tens of millions of people.

Digital rights experts believe the state is testing a firewall – a security system that monitors network traffic but can also be used to control online spaces.