No excuse

Editorial Published January 24, 2024

HOW are senior government officials defending a nationwide internet outage citing “system installation
issues” qualitatively any different from a student turning up to class empty-handed with the excuse that
‘the dog ate my homework’?

Of course, both possibilities exist within the realm of things that can happen — a particularly hungry
canine may make a morsel out of a child’s homework, and ‘system installation’ may cause a timely
outage right when an unofficially sanctioned political party is holding an online event.

However, in the course of our ordinary lives, such excuses are not usually taken without a healthy
measure of incredulity. It is hoped, therefore, that Information Minister Murtaza Solangi, DG PTA Ahmed
Shamim Pirzada and FIA Cybercrime Director Ops Waqaruddin Syed will find it within themselves to
quickly forgive those who have been doubting their sincerity.

For context, the three gentlemen had appeared before the media on Monday to explain that the most
recent nationwide internet outage, which hit around the evening this past Saturday, had nothing to do
with the online jalsa that had been arranged by the PTI around the same time and everything to do with
the PTA’s “software being upgraded”.

These were Mr Pirzada’s own words as he rubbished a question asking why each of the last three
nationwide outages — Dec 17, Jan 7 and Jan 20 — had coincided so neatly with the PTI’s pre-announced
online events.

There seemed to be few buyers for the DG PTA’s explanation, however, as tech rights advocates and
digital experts continued to criticise the government for disrupting internet access for millions “on
political grounds”.

Perhaps the authorities would be better served if they provided more details of the hitherto unknown
system uphaul and ‘software upgrade’ they are undergoing. On a more serious note, it was alarming that
the government, in the same conference, reinforced fears that there may be further outages as elections
draw nearer.
Setting aside the debate about why outages are taking place, cutting the public off from internet services
violates constitutional rights and is likely to be held so if challenged in the courts. A relevant precedent
exists in the Islamabad High Court’s 2018 ruling on the suspension of mobile phone services.

Further, in the context of the upcoming polls, it is important that voters have access to any information
that helps them exercise their political rights. Therefore, the matter must be looked into by the ECP too.

There is also the impact on the digital economy: each disruption causes billions in losses to businesses
and individuals who rely on internet connectivity for their work. Given the severity of these
consequences, it is strange that the PTA did not wish to appear more proactive about tackling the
problem. No wonder doubts remain about its true intent.

 Incredulity: The state of being unwilling or unable to believe something; skepticism.

 Jalsa: A public gathering or meeting, often used in the context of political or religious events in
South Asian countries.
 Rubbished: Dismissed or rejected as worthless or unfounded.
 Tech rights advocates: People who support and promote the rights related to technology,
especially concerning digital privacy and internet freedom.
 Uphaul: An act of lifting or hauling something up, in this context referring to system upgrades or
overhauls.
 Proactive: Taking action by causing change and not only reacting to change when it happens.