PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday slammed internet slowdowns and restrictions in the country, calling them “another effort to control and censor citizens” amid his party’s tensions with the government.

In recent months, users have experienced sluggish speeds, difficulty downloading media on WhatsApp, and intermittent connectivity issues. Digital analysts say the government has been testing a “firewall” that monitors some platforms and gives the power to block content, like photos or videos of rallies shared on WhatsApp. The government has said a ‘web management system’ was being updated for increased cyber security.

Meanwhile, the relationship between the PPP and the federal government has grown rocky, as senior party officials expre­ssed a “lack of confidence” in the federal government in December.

In parliament on December 18, PPP MNA Abdul Qadir Patel expressed strong reservations about the ongoing internet situation in the country, including the ban on X and the firewall.

The next day, senior PPP leader Naveed Qamar among other PPP lawmakers walked out of a parliament session in protest of the continued “insulting” absence of federal ministers from proceedings. Despite the party leaders’ reservations, Bilawal has urged them to continue engaging with the PML-N government.

However, addressing the convocation ceremony at Sindh University in Jamshoro today, Bilawal said the issue related to internet restrictions needed to be addressed urgently.

“Our infrastructure used to be roads, highways motorways,” he said. “In today’s age, I believe it’s our bandwidth, our fibre optic cable, our wireless internet services.

“In the past, there were attempts to control and censor people as there are now,” he continued. “This is proof that you are strong and that they fear you because they do not want you to exercise your rights through the internet.”

The PPP chairman mentioned that the ban on student unions was “another example of how they fear you”.

Bilawal emphasised that the youth needed to fight for their rights and make their demands known. “We will need to fight for our rights and spread awareness,” he said. “History is witness that when a people gets rights, they are taken away by the state.”

The PPP chairman said that there needed to be a “digital bill of rights”, adding that the youth and students of this country must come together and write it.

“For our time, we need to make efforts for a digital bill of rights,” he said.

“It must be written by the students and youth to make their rights known, not by old politicians in Islamabad who do not understand the internet because they do not use it.

“It (restricting the internet and VPNs) has no impact on them but it hurts you,” Bilawal emphasised. “Once a bill is written, we will make a consensus-based document and I will bring it before parliament.”

Bilawal said that in today’s world, “affordable … equitable access” to high-speed internet should be a “fundamental human right”, adding that there should be strict protocols to counter misinformation and ensure safety online.

Addressing the participants he said, “You probably know more about this than I do. Please, send suggestions and pointers to me.”