ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s State Minister for Information Technology (IT) Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Thursday her ministry was addressing complaints of “slow” Internet speed in the country, which a union of freelancers said had significantly hit the earnings of over 2.3 million people.
Internet speed has dropped by 30-40 percent over the past few weeks, the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP) said this week, as the government moves to implement a nationwide firewall to block malicious content, protect government networks from attacks, and allow the government to identify IP addresses associated with what it calls “anti-state propaganda.” Khawaja has repeatedly responded to critics saying the government did not plan to use firewalls as a form of censorship.
A firewall is a network security device that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security parameters. It acts as a barrier whose main purpose is to allow non-threatening traffic in and to keep dangerous and undesirable traffic out.
Pakistan’s Internet regulatory body, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has the technological ability to block unwanted content and prevent the access of local users to specific websites but the installation of the firewall is expected to enhance its capability to filter and monitor Internet content on a wider scale.
“There have been complaints of slow Internet and I have asked the PTA to provide data of the last two weeks to look at the data traffic to know the speed issue,” Khawaja told reporters after attending a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications.
“Internet should never be slow as the digital economy and digital governance depend on good Internet speed.”
When asked about the installation of a firewall, the minister said it was a cybersecurity matter and that countries around the world use the technology. Countries like China, Iran, Turkiye, and Russia have employed national firewalls for year to regulate Internet content, saying they aim to pinpoint and restrict sources of propaganda content
“Previously, the government was managing the web system but with increasing international cybersecurity attacks on the country, there is a growing need for the state to strengthen its ability to prevent these attacks,” Khawaja added.
Aisha Humera Chaudhry, the secretary of the IT and telecommunications ministry, explained during the standing committee meeting that broadband connections were not hit by low Internet speed but mobile users were facing Internet disruptions on their cellphones.
“The PTA is assessing the issue, and the ministry will be in a better position to provide an overview once the assessment is completed in two weeks,” she was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the senate secretariat after the meeting.
Ali Ihsan, Senior Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), warned against the consequences of the firewall.
“The booming IT industry is facing a disaster, grappling with unprecedented operational disruptions that threaten the very foundation of Pakistan’s burgeoned tech sector,” he said in a statement, adding that prolonged Internet disruptions and erratic VPN performances were threatening a complete meltdown of business operations.
“These disruptions are not mere inconveniences but a direct, tangible, and aggressive assault on the industry’s viability – inflicting devastating financial losses estimated to reach $300 million, which can further increase exponentially,” he said.
The government’s ambiguity surrounding the firewall’s design and objectives had ignited distrust of Pakistani freelancers among their global clients, Ihsan said:
“They fear their proprietary data and privacy will be compromised, which only serves to erode the hard-earned trust and confidence in Pakistan’s IT capabilities.”
‘LOSING MORE AND MORE BUSINESS’
There are 19 million freelancers globally, out of which Pakistan has 2.37 million active freelancers. The South Asian nation ranks among the top four countries that offer freelance services, with key global platforms for freelance work being Upwork, Fiverr, and PeoplePerHour.
According to data from the central bank. Pakistani freelancers earned $397.3 million in foreign remittances during the fiscal year 2021-22. This amount is likely underreported as much of freelance income is received as home remittances.
“The businesses of over 2.3 million freelancers are suffering due to the slow Internet services,” Tufail Ahmed Khan, president of the Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA), told Arab News.
“Not only freelancers but IT companies and e-commerce businesses are also affected by the significant degradation in Internet speed.”
He said Pakistani freelancers had earned over $350 million in 2023 while slow Internet speed was now making it difficult to complete projects online.
Khan said the most concerning aspect was that the government had given no timeline on when the issue would be resolved, with the uncertainty could damage Pakistani freelancers’ reputation among clients.
This week workers on Fiverr said the freelancing platform had made several accounts in Pakistan “unavailable” due to possible “Internet disruptions.”
“We are losing more and more business every day,” Khan lamented.
Asad Baig, executive director of the digital rights non-profit Media Matters for Democracy, said authorities were enacting laws to control the Internet rather than leveraging it for progress.
“They [government] should realize that the Internet is not only social media platforms, it is far beyond this,” Baig told Arab News. “And it is essential to give priority to this concept that in digital policymaking it is the only way to progress.”
Pakistani freelancers agreed, saying their earnings and reputation were both taking a hit due to the slow Internet speed.
Usman Mehmood, a freelance video animator since 2014, said slow Internet was disrupting timely communication with clients and completion of work.
“In our work time delivery of the project is essential, otherwise the client will move to [freelancers in] other countries, which is happening now,” Mehmood told Arab News. “It should be fixed at the earliest to save all the freelancer’s work.”
Kausar Aziz, who had worked as a freelance digital marketer since 2020, said slow Internet had hit her reputation and wasted money her clients had spent on advertising due to low visibility.
“I used to earn around Rs200,000 ($717) per month,” Aziz told Arab News, “but business is almost negligible for over a week.”
Pakistan minister says addressing ‘slow’ Internet speed as over 2.3 million freelancers, IT sector hit
https://arab.news/y6zs8
Pakistan minister says addressing ‘slow’ Internet speed as over 2.3 million freelancers, IT sector hit
- Freelancers complain of slow speeds as government moves to implement firewall to monitor and regulate content and social media
- Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) estimates financial losses due to slow Internet speed could be as high as $300 million
Army says suicide bomber recruiter among four militants killed in southwest Pakistan
- High value target recruited suicide bombers for separatist outfit BLA in district Kech, says army
- Last week’s bomb blast claimed by BLA at railway station in southwestern Pakistan killed at least 24
ISLAMABAD: Security forces shot dead four militants, among them a recruiter for suicide bombers for the separatist outfit Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in an intelligence-based operation in southwest Pakistan, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.
The operation was conducted in Balgatar area of southwestern Balochistan province’s Kech district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said.
Pakistan launched an armed operation in Balochistan earlier this month against separatist militants behind multiple attacks in August in which over 50 people, including civilians and security officials were killed. The BLA also claimed responsibility for a bomb blast last week that killed at least 24 people and left 50 injured at a railway station in Quetta.
“During the conduct of the operation, after an intense fire exchange between own troops and the terrorists, four terrorists including a high-value target, terrorist ringleader Sana (alias) Baru were killed,” the ISPR said.
“He was a focal recruitment agent, especially suicide bombers, for the so-called Majeed Brigade in District Kech and was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies.”
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain “terrorists,” the army’s media wing said. It added that security forces had launched a sanitization operation to eliminate any other “terrorists” found in the area.
Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which shares porous borders with Afghanistan and Iran, has been the scene of a low-lying insurgency for decades. Ethnic Baloch nationalists have long accused the central government and Punjab of monopolizing profits from Balochistan’s natural resources.
The state denies these allegations and says it is working on several projects to usher in development in the gas-and-oil rich province.
Father of British-Pakistani girl admits killing her but denies intent
- Sara Sharif, 10, was found dead in her bed in southwest London in August last year with serious injuries
- Her father, Urfan Sharif, had fled to Pakistan a day before her body was found with his wife and Sara’s uncle
LONDON: The father of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl on Wednesday admitted that he killed his daughter but maintained he had not meant to harm her, even as he beat her when she lay dying.
Sara Sharif was found dead in her bed in Woking, southwest of London, on August 10, 2023, with extensive injuries including broken bones, burns and bite marks.
Her father, Urfan Sharif, 42, had fled to Pakistan a day before her body was found, with his wife Beinash Batool, 30, and the girl’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.
All three adults deny murder and a separate charge of allowing the death of a child.
Giving evidence at the Old Bailey court in central London, Urfan Sharif had previously blamed Batool, Sara’s stepmother, and said she had forced him to confess to killing her.
But under questioning from his wife’s lawyer on Wednesday the taxi driver said he took “full responsibility” for what had happened, but that he had not intended to hurt Sara.
Asked if he killed Sara by beating, he replied: “Yes, she died because of me.”
He also admitted causing multiple fractures in the weeks before Sara’s death, using a cricket bat on her as she was bound with packaging tape, throttling her with his bare hands and breaking the hyoid bone in her neck.
“I can take full responsibility. I accept every single thing,” he said, also accepting that he badly beat Sara on August 8 when she had collapsed and was dying.
He maintained however that he was not guilty of the murder charge. “I did not want to hurt her. I didn’t want to harm her,” he told the jury.
Sara’s body was discovered in her bed on August 10. Her father phoned British police after arriving in Islamabad and said he had beaten his daughter “too much.”
A written confession was found beside her. A post-mortem examination found she had suffered multiple injuries, including at least 25 broken bones.
She also had burns and human bite marks on her body but Urfan Sharif denied making them.
The defendants were arrested on September 13 when they flew back to the UK.
Pakistan says Morocco interested in collaborating in aerospace sector
- Moroccan Air Force Inspector Maj. Gen. Mohammed Gadih calls on Pakistan’s chief of air staff in Islamabad
- Both officials discuss military cooperation and enhancing joint training exercises between the two countries
ISLAMABAD: Moroccan Air Force Inspector Major General Mohammed Gadih has expressed interest in collaborating with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in the aerospace sector, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday, as the two countries move toward strengthening defense relations.
Pakistan and Arab countries enjoy strong defense ties, with both engaging in frequent joint training exercises and collaborations related to defense production and counter-terrorism intelligence sharing.
Gadih called on Pakistan’s Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu in Islamabad to discuss military cooperation and enhancing joint training between both countries, the Inter-Services Public Relations, (ISPR) the military’s media wing, said.
“Maj Gen Gadih lauded the technological advancement of PAF and expressed the desire of Moroccan Air Force to learn from aerospace industrial strides of PAF to enhance its operational capabilities,” the ISPR said.
“He conveyed his admiration for the state-of-the-art technological ecosystem witnessed during his visit to National Aerospace Science and Technology Park and shared his deep interest in exploring avenues of collaboration in the industrial domain.”
The Pakistani air chief reiterated his resolve to strengthen bilateral military partnership with Morocco, saying that it could be achieved through collaboration in joint training initiatives such as basic and tactical level training for Moroccan Air Force personnel.
The Moroccan air force official also visited different installations and technological infrastructure at the Air Headquarters, including the National ISR and Integrated Air Operations Center.
Pakistan PM assures Beijing of taking all possible steps to ensure Chinese nationals’ safety
- Shehbaz Sharif meets Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang at sidelines of COP29 summit in Baku
- Beijing has grown anxious over increasing number of attacks in Pakistan targeting Chinese nationals
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday assured China’s vice premier that Pakistan was determined to root out “terrorism” from its country, saying that Islamabad was taking all possible steps to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals.
Separatist outfits in Pakistan have previously attacked Chinese nationals in the country, with Islamabad saying the attacks are aimed at disrupting its ties with Beijing and destabilizing a multi-billion-dollar Chinese infrastructure project in Pakistan. A deadly suicide blast near the airport in the southern city of Karachi last month targeted Chinese engineers, killing two and injuring 21 others. In March this year, a suicide bombing killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver in northwestern Pakistan as they headed to the Dasu Dam, the largest hydropower project in the country.
China, breaking with tradition, recently spoke out publicly against security threats to its workers and nationals in Pakistan.
Sharif, who was in Baku to attend the global COP29 climate summit conference, met Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang at the sidelines of the summit to speak about bilateral ties between the two allies.
“While highlighting the government’s steps for the security of Chinese citizens in Pakistan, the prime minister said the government is taking all possible steps to ensure the security of Chinese nationals,” Sharif’s office said.
“The prime minister mentioned the government’s steps to completely eliminate the menace of terrorism from Pakistan and said that the government is determined to uproot terrorism from the country,” it added.
Sharif said China was Pakistan’s longstanding friend, adding that a new era of strengthening relations between the two countries had begun.
Separately, Sharif met Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev at the sidelines of the conference to congratulate him on successfully holding the World Leaders Climate Action Summit in Baku, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
Sharif assured Aliyev that Islamabad was committed to work with Azerbaijan and the international community on challenges related to climate change.
“The two leaders reviewed the entire range of bilateral relations,” the PMO said. “They expressed their commitment to further strengthen the strategic partnership between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, particularly in the areas of economic and defense cooperation; as well as people to people and cultural ties.”
Sharif expressed optimism about enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields including technology sharing and joint ventures in renewable energy, his office said.
In recent months, Pakistan has increasingly sought to attract investment and trade with regional countries, especially the Central Asian states, as it suffers from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis. It seeks to enhance its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub connecting the Central Asian republics with the rest of the world, leveraging its strategic geographical position.
Pakistan's Punjab says light rains from Nov. 14-16 likely to reduce smog
- Toxic smog has shrouded Pakistan’s cultural capital Lahore and 17 other districts in Punjab since last month
- Rain expected to occur in Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Chakwal, Rawalpindi and other districts on Nov. 14
ISLAMABAD: Light rains forecast by Pakistan's Meteorological Department from Nov. 14-16 in most districts of Punjab are likely to reduce smog in the eastern province, the provincial's disaster management authority said on Wednesday, as the deteriorating air quality continues to put the health of millions of people at risk.
Toxic smog has shrouded Lahore and 17 other districts in Punjab since last month. Health officials say more than 40,000 people have been treated for respiratory ailments forcing Punjab to close schools until Nov. 17 to protect children’s health. The UN children’s agency has warned that the health of 11 million children in Punjab is in danger due to air pollution.
South Asia, particularly India and Pakistan, is shrouded in intense pollution every winter as cold air traps emissions, dust, and smoke from farm fires. Pollution could cut more than five years from people’s life expectancy in the region, a study found last year.
“According to the Meteorological Department, rains are likely in Punjab from November 14 to 16,” the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab said. “Director General PDMA Irfan Ali Kathia said that the possible rains are likely to reduce smog.”
Rains are expected to lash Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Chakwal, Talagang, Jhelum, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Lahore, Mianwali, Khushab and Sargodha districts of Punjab, with thunderstorms predicted for Bhakkar, Layyah, and Dera Ghazi Khan districts on Nov. 15.
PDMA Punjab urged people to wear face masks as a precautionary measure against smog and not to venture out unnecessarily.
Seasonal crop burn-off by farmers on the outskirts of Lahore also contributed to toxic air, which the World Health Organization says can cause strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.
