Pakistan: Social media users, freelancers face problems due to internet disruption
Aug 24, 2024
Islamabad [Pakistan], August 24 : Social media users and freelancers have been facing difficulties in Pakistan due to disruption in Internet services, Pakistan-based ARY News reported. The Internet disruption has caused mental stress for many, especially youth who depend on the Internet for their livelihood,
A significant number of Pakistani youth have been impacted by the slow internet speed, which has affected their work and resulted in clients not coming to them for work. In Karachi, a school student Ezhaan, who works online after school, is struggling to cope with the loss of his online clients due to slow internet speed.
He was working on a large project with 60 orders. However, he is now facing numerous hurdles due to the slow internet, according to ARY News report.
Another freelancer, Abdul Hai, who relies on the internet for his livelihood, is also facing problems. He stated that WhatsApp is not operating properly, making it difficult for him to communicate with his team.
According to the report, several firms that provide work to freelancers have stopped functioning in Pakistan due to the slow internet speed. In addition, Pakistan's reputation in the international market has been affected due to slow internet.
Moreover, taxpayers are facing difficulty in filing their income tax returns due to slow internet, with many complaining that the FBR's online form was not opening and documents could not be uploaded, ARY News reported.
Earlier on August 18, Pakistan's State Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja rebuffed claims of the government blocking or slowing the internet services and said that the slowdown is because of excessive Virtual Private Networks (VPN) usage by the people, The Express Tribune reported.
While addressing a press conference, Shaza Fatima stated that steps are being taken to prevent internet issues and acknowledged the problems faced by the public due to widespread internet disruptions. She said that the spike in VPN usage led to a massive load on internet services, causing it to slow down, reported The Express Tribune.
