What's new

Ruined my livelihood’: Pakistan internet shutdown hits millions

Kingdom come

FULL MEMBER
Joined
Jun 15, 2021
Messages
1,008
Reaction score
-3
Country
India
Location
India
Mohammed Faisal, a food delivery driver in Karachi, has lost 6,000 rupees ($20) over the past three days.

The 26-year-old relies on WhatsApp messaging service to receive and track the locations of his food orders.

He uses his trusty motorbike and a smartphone with mobile broadband internet to traverse the main roads, narrow streets, and densely populated neighbourhoods in Pakistan’s largest and most-populous city.


Since the arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan three days ago, mobile internet services remain suspended across the country.

Khan was ordered to be released on Thursday, after the country’s top court termed his arrest illegal. However, the mobile broadband shutdown was not lifted.


Commuters ride past a burnt vehicle set on fire during a protest by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party activists and supporters of former Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan over the arrest of their leader
Commuters ride past a vehicle set on fire during a protest by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party activists and supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan over his arrest, in Lahore, May 11, 2023 [Arif ALI/ AFP]
In a metropolis where street names and house numbers are rarely used for navigation, Faisal’s work has come to a near halt without access to the internet when he is out on the road.
“I can’t get orders because mobile data isn’t working,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that he incurs fuel wastage while trying to locate addresses without navigation apps.

Security forces have blocked several roads and intersections in major cities in an attempt to deter protesters.

“Roadblocks and data outage have ruined my livelihood,” Faisal said.




Information blackout
Nearly 125 million people have been affected by the government’s decision to suspend mobile broadband and block access to social media apps.

Mohammad Fayyaz, who lives in a village in the eastern province of Punjab, feels cut off from the rest of the country during a time of major political upheaval.

“We use YouTube to watch the news, but with most social media apps being restricted since Tuesday, we feel disconnected from the events taking place in Islamabad or Lahore,” he told Al Jazeera from his village, Maanga, 255km (158 miles) east of the capital where Khan was taken away by paramilitary forces on Tuesday.

ficulty in using social apps including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, PTA spokesperson Malahat Obaid denied that the apps were blocked by the telecom authority.

“These apps are still working, but on throttle, so you can’t say they are blocked,” she said, referring to a practice used by internet providers to restrict internet speed without informing users.

A report by Open Observatory, a global open data resource that monitors internet censorship, shows that YouTube, Facebook and Twitter were restricted by service providers on Tuesday evening, while users were unable to access Instagram after Wednesday morning.

Global condemnation
The shutdown has been criticised by rights organisations, who have called on the Pakistani government to lift the restrictions.


 
Will impact Freelancers as well... Will take some time for clients to trust them again. Royal screw up.
 
wo to kab k faraar kera diya tumaharai puranai dushman or naya murshad imam e hazrat khan nai. uss say kiun nahain mangtai? woh be ab motai chor jitna hi ameer ho chukka hai , bhai

Jahil insan abhi government kis ki hai?

Usi bhagorai ki jis ko tumharai murshid Haji bajwa nai bhagaya

To Imran Khan Sai kiyun poochon?

wo to kab k faraar kera diya tumaharai puranai dushman or naya murshad imam e hazrat khan nai. uss say kiun nahain mangtai? woh be ab motai chor jitna hi ameer ho chukka hai , bhai

Aur aik to tera samajh nahi aata

BC tu muslim hai. Christian hai. Pakistani hai. Non Pakistani hai. Kiya hai?

Agar non muslim hai to Islam related threads main kyin ghusta hai? Wahan apna opinion kiyun daita hai?

Agar non Pakistani hai to Pakistani threads main kiyun ghusta hai?

@villageidiot Yeh hai kaun???
 
In ghareebon ko khana nawaz sharif khilaye ga??? @muhammadhafeezmalik

I am not able to submit my sales tax return for my part time business, last date for submission is 10th of every month, only if PTI supporters would not have shown vandalism against a legle cource, situation would have been far better.

Exclusive: Pakistan point-of-sale payments slump after protest violence​

KARACHI, Pakistan, May 11 (Reuters) - Point-of-sale transactions routed through Pakistan's main digital payment systems fell by around 50% the day after former Prime Minister Imran Khan's arrest ignited countrywide protests and prompted authorities to shut down mobile internet services, data showed on Thursday.

The reason for the slump was primarily the mobile broadband suspension, in addition to lower footfall at the limited number of stores opened due to the political turmoil, the two largest payments system operators, 1LINK and Habib Bank Limited (HBL)(HBL.PSX), told Reuters.

 
I am not able to submit my sales tax return for my part time business, last date for submission is 10th of every month, only if PTI supporters would not have shown vandalism against a legle cource, situation would have been far better.

Va puttar kya bat ki.

Konsi anal itch Rana Kutta ko shoru ho gai thi jisma rangers pajna para tha, jo already court ma bata tha.

Koi sharam ki goli ka lo.
 
I am not able to submit my sales tax return for my part time business, last date for submission is 10th of every month, only if PTI supporters would not have shown vandalism against a legle cource, situation would have been far better.

It was no legal course as declared by Supreme court of Pakistan

Now tell me one thing. Why you noon leaguies are hell bent on weakening and disintegrating this country?

Tum noon league k khota khoron ko is mulk nai izzat do. Paisa dia. Aur tum is waqt Pakistan k liye bla aur TTP sai barha khatra ban gaye ho

T ghaddar namak haram Pakistan k dushman ho
 
I am not able to submit my sales tax return for my part time business, last date for submission is 10th of every month, only if PTI supporters would not have shown vandalism against a legle cource, situation would have been far better.



So apart from doing paid spamming on PDF, you are doing a party time business as well? :lol:
 
Sometimes the authorities have to take it down for skorti reajons.

India do it in Kashmir all the time and sometimes when there's a riots situation festering, even in places like Delhi.
 

Pakistan Affairs Latest Posts

Back
Top Bottom