Millions of Pakistanis continue to experience problems with WhatsApp, with many unable to send or receive even basic text messages. The issue has persisted for weeks now, and no one knows if it’ll ever come to an end. What was first reported as a glitch on WhatApp owner Meta’s end has come off as the Pakistani government’s own incompetence.
WhatsApp is one of the most frequently used internet messaging apps in Pakistan, which had 111 million internet users at the start of 2024 – up from the 87.35 million at the start of 2023. Almost one in every two internet users in Pakistan has the application installed on their smartphone for calls and messaging on the go. But Islamabad’s throttling of the internet has claimed WhatsApp as its latest casualty.
The state had previously delivered the same blow to X (formerly Twitter) citing national security concerns. X continues to be accessed through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) by Pakistanis despite the ban.
Speaking of VPNs, a Pakistani minister attributed the internet slowdown to the use of this technology by individual users across the country. Shaza Fatima, the state minister for information technology and telecommunication, told reporters during a press conference the government hadn’t slowed or shut down the internet.
“I want to reassure the public that the internet has neither been shut down nor slowed down by the state,” Pakistan’s English daily Dawn quoted Fatima as saying. While the minister did acknowledge a persistent internet outage, she said the issue was “limited to a few services on certain apps not downloading” before passing the blame for the slowdown onto VPN users.
Pakistan’s government also denied instituting a ban on X for over a month before finally admitting they were indeed blocking the platform.
Industry professionals and experts warn that the government’s tampering with the internet will only aggravate problems for Pakistan’s services industry, which accounts for more than 50 percent of the South Asian country’s workforce. The internet crisis is causing several multinational companies to either relocate or consider moving their operations out, the Pakistan Business Council said in an August 17 statement, warning failure to address the issue could cost the country up to $300 million.
The internet failure also brought Pakistan’s judiciary into the limelight after two superior courts asked for a government reply on the issue. The Lahore and Islamabad High Courts, in separate hearings, sought in-person responses from government officials as well as representatives of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which has been silent on the internet slowdown.
The Islamabad High Court petition was moved by renowned Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir through Advocate Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir on August 21 and “sought redressal for the glaring violations of citizens’ fundamental rights due to the apparent installation of a firewall, drastically reduced internet speeds, routine network disruptions, and the federal government’s denial of these issues,” per Dawn.
The Islamabad High Court will resume its hearing of the case on August 26. The court is expecting responses from stakeholders concerned.
The internet disruption comes amid widespread discontent in Pakistan over the country’s economic situation. Inflation is running high and the government has sharply increased taxes and electricity fees, which is says is necessary to meet the terms of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) package. However, many Pakistanis believe the government is seeking to make ordinary taxpayers pay for the ruling elite’s lavish lifestyle.
The June budget announcement saw Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb reveal a 25 percent increase in government salaries followed by an unprecedented tax hike for the common salaried class. The budget was heavily criticized, with an editorial in Dawn claiming it would “make the life of average Pakistanis every harder.”
Given the circumstances, some see the internet slowdown as a brazen attempt by the Pakistani government to shut down criticism in digital spaces.
Amid all the turmoil, the Pakistan Army announced it was taking action against one of its own. Lt. Gen (Retd) Faiz Hameed, a former head of the country’s top spy agency – the Inter-Services Intelligence – was taken into military custody after an internal investigation found him guilty of corruption and malpractices.
“In connection with the FGCM proceedings of Lt Gen (Retd) Faiz Hameed, three retired officers are also in military custody for their actions prejudicial to military discipline,” the military’s media wing said in a follow-up statement.
It is unknown if Hameed’s arrest has got anything do with the current political and economic storm that has engulfed Pakistan. The military has labeled the arrest as a response to the orders of Pakistan’s Supreme Court, but institutions in Pakistan have a tendency to ignore judicial supremacy unless the court’s orders mesh with their own interests.