Citizens are demanding internet services to be restored as the suspension enters its fourth day

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By Webdesk


Ethernet cables used for internet connections are pictured in an office in Berlin, August 20, 2014. — Reuters
Ethernet cables used for internet connections are pictured in an office in Berlin, August 20, 2014. — Reuters

Fade up with prolonged internet blackout, citizens across the country on Friday urged the government to restore broadband services immediately.

The ongoing internet outage not only severely affected businesses and commercial activities, but also disrupted the daily lives of the common man across the country.

The government suspended internet services on May 9 after violent protests erupted in the country after law enforcement officers detained Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Netizen Zulfiqar Ahmed wrote on Twitter: “The mobile internet suspension has led to livelihood disruption for 160,000 Bykea, InDriver and Uber drivers. Unnecessary loss of livelihoods in the current economic situation.”

Citizens are demanding internet services to be restored as the suspension enters its fourth day

Senior journalist Kamran Khan said: “Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is now back to normal after three days of turmoil in Pakistan. It is business as usual. Order speedy restoration of Internet services.”

He added that further suspension of mobile data services will multiply the financial losses inflicted on the national treasury and private companies over the past three days.

Citizens are demanding internet services to be restored as the suspension enters its fourth day

Another internet user demanded a fine from the internet companies and claimed compensation for the suspension of the service.

Citizens are demanding internet services to be restored as the suspension enters its fourth day

Journalist Faizan Lakhani took to the microblogging site and said, “Unimaginable loss and stress for the people who use online apps to earn their bread and butter like food panda delivery drivers, bykea/Careem/InDrive drivers due to this suspension of mobile internet services .”

He went on to say that the government should think about these people before blocking the internet.

Citizens are demanding internet services to be restored as the suspension enters its fourth day

Sources aware of the matter said telecom operators have suffered an estimated revenue loss of Rs 820 million while the government has lost nearly Rs 287 million in tax revenue.

In addition, the sudden internet suspension left thousands of daily earning riders without a job, multiplying their misery amid the country’s skyrocketing inflation.

‘Internet will remain suspended until further notice’

Earlier today, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced that it had not yet received any guidelines from the government regarding the recovery of mobile internet services.

The measure was taken by authorities to contain the spread of the chaos, while access to major social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, has also since been blocked.

The PTA said mobile internet services will remain suspended across the country until further notice.

However, it added that broadband internet was available to the users.

The telecoms regulator said the Interior Ministry had issued orders to suspend mobile internet services and had not received any new guidance from authorities in this regard.

Amnesty International has reservations

Meanwhile, Amnesty International urged Pakistani authorities to lift restrictions on internet services that were blocked following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Al Qadir Trust corruption case.

Rimmel Mohydin, the South Asian campaigner at Amnesty International, said: “There is an urgent need to de-escalate the situation in Pakistan as it threatens further serious violations of the people’s rights and risks more deaths.”

Asking officials to restrain the use of excessive force, she added: “Authorities should strive to defuse the situation and the state’s use of force should not go beyond what is necessary and proportionate. Amnesty International urges strongly urge the Pakistani authorities to take action.” use restraint and minimal violence without resorting to the use of firearms to disperse demonstrators.”

“Authorities also need to ensure that there are no arbitrary arrests and that there is evidence of reasonable suspicion of crime for any arrest,” the campaigner said.

“It is alarming that the government has announced that the mobile internet shutdown is ‘indefinite’, which is a clear violation of people’s right to access information and freedom of expression,” said Mohydin.

“The ban on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube is also creating a permissive environment for other human rights violations in the darkness of the internet shutdown,” she stressed, adding that “the restrictions should be lifted immediately.”


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