PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court on Wednesday put off hearing of a petition against ‘internet disruptions and its slowing down’ by the government throughout the country.

A bench consisting of Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Syed Arshad Ali took up for hearing the petition filed by a lawyer Nauman Muhib Kakakhel, seeking the court’s declaration that the disruption of internet services and social media applications was illegal and unconstitutional and was based on malafide intentions.

Senior lawyer Aamir Javed appeared for the respondents including Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and stated that comments had been submitted in response to the petition by the respondents on Wednesday.

The petitioner stated that he needed time to go through the comments. He said that internet had become an integral part of daily life as businesses and social life were dependent on it and social media applications.

PTA lawyer says comments have been submitted in response to petition

He said that lately internet service was being disrupted without any plausible reason or announcement, which had an impact on the daily life of people as the cyber world had become an integral part of their lives.

The lawyer said that he and similarly placed persons conducted their business and professional work through social media platforms, including WhatsApp. However, he added, due to disruptions and throttling, calls, documents, files and voice messages could not be made, received, sent or downloaded.

The petitioner stated that no announcement or explanation had been given by the government or relevant quarters as to why there were internet disruptions.

He said that people were forced to use virtual private networks (VPNs) to continue with their daily life, which was putting their data at risk, including bank accounts. He added that people had no other option but to use VPN.

Mr Kakakhel stated Pakistan was a market of freelancers, e-commerce and online businesses, and international corporations and private individuals preferred to outsource those services, especially freelancing, from the country. But those businesses couldn’t be conducted due to internet slowdown, which was not only causing losses to individuals but also to the national exchequer, he added.

He said that Pakistani youth also enjoyed good reputation in e-commerce and online businesses in the global market, but they were now handicapped due to connectivity issue.

The lawyer contended that the Constitution guaranteed fundamental rights, and right to internet formed a big part of the right to life, which was an essential facility in the modern world for every purpose connected with human activities, be it educational, business, banking or swift communications.

He said that the high court was a custodian of fundamental rights provided in the Constitution, therefore the grievances of the petitioner and every citizen of Pakistan ought to be redressed and their rights protected.

The respondents in the petition are PTA through its chairman and federal secretary of ministry of information technology and telecommunication.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2024