Pakistan puts onus on users for slow internet, expunges mentions of firewall

Pakistan's Information and Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja while addressing a press conference on Sunday (Aug 18) put the onus on users for using too much VPN (Virtual Private Networks) which resulted in slowing down the internet, days after she falsely said that governments around the world implement firewall as part of national security measures.

Shaza was addressing a press conference in Islamabad after much criticism of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government for slowing down the internet. The software industry and multiple business houses have already come out in the open as the negative impact of the internet slowdown takes a toll on the South Asian nation's economy.

Pakistan's government while conveniently blaming the people for the problem, did not even acknowledge that it is the government itself that has caused the problems with the internet to begin with.

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The government previously also tried to put the onus on ousted former Prime Minister Imran Khan for the installation of the firewall.

Former caretaker information minister Murtaza Solangi posted on social media an old summary alluding that the decision to install the firewall was taken during the Imran Khan regime in 2020

Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s information minister Fawad Chaudhry promptly rebutted the allegation by Solangi saying that "authorities were the ones that suggested this but the proposal was shot down in the very first meeting itself".