Why Does Pakistan web slowdown? Bilawal Questions Government’s Digital Strategy
Amid growing frustrations over consistent net problems in Pakistan, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari took a sharp dig at the PML-N-led federal government, highlighting its old-fashioned strategy to infrastructure development. Speaking to journalists in Ratodero, Bilawal underscored the pressing want for contemporary digital infrastructure to meet today’s technological demands.
Fish and Cables? A Digital Age Dilemma
Bilawal paradoxically questioned the narrative that underwater net cables had been snapped using fish. “Why is it always fish that target Pakistan’s web cables?” he quipped, saying he couldn’t believe how the government was handling the issue. He worried that net connectivity and speed are the backbone of modern infrastructure, which needs to be placed over old models of development.
Outdated Priorities, Lagging Nation
“The politics of the PML-N is founded on the motorways an infrastructure prototype of the 1990s,” Bilawal said, while taking a swipe at the ruling party’s focus on common infrastructure projects. He said Pakistan was in dire need of having high-speed internet as that was the requirement for achieving proper progress in the international playing field.
He also criticized the federal government for the frequent internet shutdowns, which have left the customers across Pakistan struggling with slow speeds, difficulty in accessing information, and issues in sharing media files.
Pakistan’s Alarming Internet Rankings
According to Ookla Speedtest Global Index, the country stands at hundredth out of 111 countries in terms of cellular net speeds with an average down load pace of 20.61 Mbps and add pace of 8.53 Mbps. The situation becomes even more dismal for broadband, as the country stands at 141st out of 158 countries, with down load speeds averaging 15.60 Mbps and add speeds at 15.53 Mbps.
Mixed Signals from the Government
Bilawal further lashed out at the authorities on its contradicting statements in regards to the net slowdown. “First, they said that the cables had been cut, and then they claimed it back. How can an authority retract itself from its own statement?” he pointed out, and pressed for more transparency and accountability in this matter.
VPNs? Not a Solution
Making a joke, yet rather a sharp one, Bilawal said, “Why bother with VPNs when the public doesn’t even have dependable high-speed internet?” He told the authorities to focus on upgrading web speed and connectivity rather than offering stop-gap solutions.
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