KARACHI: Online businesses and freelancers continue to raise concerns over the lack of clarity from the officials on the issue of internet disruptions and warned of massive economic losses if the issues weren’t resolved.

The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) and Pakistan Freelancers Association (Pafla) on Monday urged the government to take the industry into confidence and address the issues of slow internet.

The remarks came a day after the information technology minister, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, categorically den­ied reports the government was throttling the internet. She also said the issue lasted “for a few days” and “has been resolved today [Sunday]”.

Freelancers’ body wants full connectivity restored; IT exports down 4pc

Talking to Geo News on Monday, P@SHA Senior Vice Chairman Ali Ihsan said the government hasn’t been “forthcoming” on the matter.

“We want to work with them (government). What such need arose that we have been thrown out of the loop,” he added. Mr Ihsan added that his association had been “kept in the loop” by the government due to which no issue had arisen in the past 10 years.

What such need had emerged that the body was excluded from discussions on policy matters, he asked.

Commenting on the economic impact of the internet disruptions, he revealed that P@SHA estimates a $300 million loss along with the reputational damage of Pakistani firms.

Pafla wants full connectivity

Meanwhile, Pafla, the representative body of freelancers, has demanded immediate steps to restore internet services.

In a statement, Pafla President and CEO Tufail Ahmed Khan said freelancers have been grappling with slow internet speeds and frequent disruptions over the past three weeks.

“These challenges have hindered their ability to meet project deadlines, onboard new clients, and secure future business, resulting in significant revenue losses.”

Mr Ahmed said Pakistan was the fourth-largest freelancing industry globally, with over 2.3 million freelancers and if these issues persist, freelancing platforms “may downgrade our standing”.

MoM dip in IT exports

A report released on Monday stated that Pakistan’s IT exports fell by over four per cent in July 2024 as compared to the previous month. However, on a year-on-year basis, they registered an increase of 34pc.

According to Topline Research, the total exports in July stood at $286 million, down 4.19pc from $298m a month ago. However, this was an increase of 34pc in comparison to July 2023 when the exports stood at $214m.

The July 2024 figures were higher than the last 12-month average of $269mn, Nasheed Malik of Topline Research said.

The net IT exports (exports-imports) in July 2024 were $252mn and increased by 33pc year-on-year.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2024