PAKISTANI netizens, always quick to find humour in the darkest places, have dubbed it ‘the return of the shararti (mischievous) sharks’.

Contradicting the state minister for IT, who had on Sunday claimed that slow internet speeds were due to Pakistanis’ newfound love for VPNs, the PTA chairman on Wednesday told the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication that the slowdown was, in fact, attributable to a problem with one of the submarine cables connecting Pakistan to the rest of the world.

A major fault in Pakistan’s submarine cables was once, many years ago, attributed to shark activity, much to the amusement of ordinary citizens. It has since turned into a running gag about Pakistan’s frequent struggles with unexplained internet failures. That it has resurfaced is a sign of how seriously the Pakistani people are taking the government’s flip-flopping on ongoing internet connectivity issues.

It seems worth asking at this point whether the government realises how much damage it is causing to its credibility by repeatedly denying the problems being faced by citizens and then contradicting itself when explaining what may be causing them. Facing the NA committee, the PTA chairman deflected questions regarding the ‘firewall’ reportedly being rolled out by the state. Later, while speaking to a reporter, he acknowledged that the PTA has been upgrading its ‘web management system’ but did not elaborate on how this system works.

A report published in these pages suggests that this system may be being upgraded to have the capability to throttle and limit content on an application basis, as well as allow URL filtering, IP blocking, including complete blocking of websites, and VPN whitelisting. However, experts warn that any problems with the system could impact a very large number of users because of the way Pakistan’s internet is structured. This seems to have been confirmed by experience in recent days.

Pakistan cannot progress in the modern world if the keys to its nascent IT industry are to remain in the hands of a regulatory authority that cannot even prevaricate with consistency. The secrecy surrounding the ongoing tinkering with the internet is giving rise to all kinds of speculation and uncertainty, which, as multiple stakeholders have warned, has been affecting business confidence too. Meanwhile, even established experts seem to be in the dark about what the authorities seek to achieve and at what cost. This is a deeply problematic situation that may have far-reaching consequences for Pakistan.

Civilian leaders must continue to demand answers from the PTA and seek clarity on what it is trying to achieve. They must also enforce a system of accountability for those responsible for this new ‘web management’ technology, especially for the economic losses it has been causing due to frequent disruptions to the internet.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2024