Nationwide outage of internet services in Pakistan on Tuesday has continued to affect businesses, financial services and daily life. The disruption in services is one of the worst in recent years, said Industry officials.&nbsp;As per estimates, about two-thirds of users have been impacted by the internet outage, said the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP), in a statement.&nbsp;Internet access in the country dropped to just 20% of normal levels, according to NetBlocks, a global internet observatory.&nbsp;"Metrics show a major disruption to internet connectivity across Pakistan with high impact to backbone operator PTCL; overall national connectivity is down to 20% of ordinary levels," NetBlocks wrote in a post on X.&nbsp;The outage that began late in the evening affected business operations, banking transactions, and routine communication in various parts of the country.&nbsp;A similar internet disruption had hit the country three years back in in 2022, when fibre routes were damaged by floods, according to The News International, a local media organisation.&nbsp;Reacting on the disruption, the chairman of Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan raised concerns said, &nbsp;"Internet outages are no longer rare accidents in Pakistan; they have become a recurring reality. For two-thirds of the country to go dark in 2025, on the very date we saw the same collapse in 2022, should ring alarm bells at every level of government."&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The disruption in services is one of the worst in recent years, said Industry officials.

Nationwide outage of internet services in Pakistan on Tuesday has continued to affect businesses, financial services and daily life. The disruption in services is one of the worst in recent years, said Industry officials. As per estimates, about two-thirds of users have been impacted by the internet outage, said the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP), in a statement. Internet access in the country dropped to just 20% of normal levels, according to NetBlocks, a global internet observatory. "Metrics show a major disruption to internet connectivity across Pakistan with high impact to backbone operator PTCL; overall national connectivity is down to 20% of ordinary levels," NetBlocks wrote in a post on X. The outage that began late in the evening affected business operations, banking transactions, and routine communication in various parts of the country. A similar internet disruption had hit the country three years back in in 2022, when fibre routes were damaged by floods, according to The News International, a local media organisation. Reacting on the disruption, the chairman of Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan raised concerns said, "Internet outages are no longer rare accidents in Pakistan; they have become a recurring reality. For two-thirds of the country to go dark in 2025, on the very date we saw the same collapse in 2022, should ring alarm bells at every level of government."

The disruption in services is one of the worst in recent years, said Industry officials.

Pakistan faces massive internet outage, businesses, financial services hit hard

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.&nbsp;

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.

The government previously also tried to put the onus on ousted former Prime Minister Imran Khan for the installation of the firewall. &nbsp;

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

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We had plans to install a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoodFireWall?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoodFireWall</a> under <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImranKhan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ImranKhan</a> before we installed the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BadFireWall?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BadFireWall</a> under <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShehbazSharif?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShehbazSharif</a> 
شہباز شریف کی بری فائر وال سے پہلے عمران خان نے اچھی فائر وال لگانے کا بندوبست کیا تھا۔ <a href="https://t.co/ZREuY92ut1">pic.twitter.com/ZREuY92ut1</a>
— Murtaza Solangi (@murtazasolangi) <a href="https://twitter.com/murtazasolangi/status/1824683326872920450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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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".

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.

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. 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 We had plans to install a #GoodFireWall under #ImranKhan before we installed the #BadFireWall under #ShehbazSharif شہباز شریف کی بری فائر وال سے پہلے عمران خان نے اچھی فائر وال لگانے کا بندوبست کیا تھا۔ pic.twitter.com/ZREuY92ut1 — Murtaza Solangi (@murtazasolangi) August 17, 2024 × 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".

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

In order to counter the frequent internet blackouts in the country, Pakistan has reportedly developed and tested a messaging app called 'Beep', designed for secure communication among officials. The new platform is being dubbed as an alternative to WhatsApp and would help federal officers stay connected even when the internet is down.

Beep has been exclusively developed in Pakistan and has been undergoing 'successful' trial runs since 2023 when the then-IT minister, Syed Aminul Haque first revealed plans for the app.&nbsp;According to reports, the Pakistani&nbsp;government is now planning to roll out the application for all its employees within the next 45 days.

Shaza Fatima Khwaja, the state minister for information technology and telecommunication, said 'Beep' would help ensure “data privacy and protection” in government communications.

“We have developed an application focused on secure and unified communication among government officials. The purpose of Beep Pakistan is to protect our privacy and data,” Khwaja was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

The minister added that the government hopes to roll out the app for citizens at a later stage.&nbsp;

"The design of the application is robust enough to offer it to the general citizens of Pakistan at later stages if desired," said Khwaja.&nbsp; 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/pakistan-general-elections-2024-mobile-phone-services-suspended-across-pakistan-as-voting-begins-688082">Watch |&nbsp;Pakistan general elections 2024: Mobile phone services suspended across Pakistan as voting begins</a>

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<h2>Internet blackouts in Pakistan</h2>

Pakistan is notorious for routing internet blackouts which the government justifies as a security measure. In the lead-up to the general elections, earlier this year, internet services were heavily curtailed in different parts of the country.&nbsp;

Former prime minister Imran Khan claimed the internet disruptions were a way for the ruling class to cull dissent while facilitating vote rigging.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/internet-services-in-pakistan-restored-after-hours-long-nationwide-disruption-681982">Also read |&nbsp;Internet services in Pakistan restored after hours-long nationwide disruption</a>

Users across the country have lodged complaints with the&nbsp;Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the country’s top telecom regulator, about routine internet throttling. Netizens complain that social media platforms such as X, Facebook and Instagram become nightmare to open while multimedia content on WhatsApp becomes barely accessible during the blackouts.&nbsp;

Notably, Pakistani authorities have been on the fence about WhatsApp and the security the Meta-owned platform provides after&nbsp;nearly two dozen federal officials were targeted by Pegasus, a spyware developed by the Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO, in 2019.

The government had instructed officials at the time to avoid using WhatsApp to send confidential material that could cause harm to the country if it got in the wrong hands.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

In order to counter the frequent internet blackouts in the country, Pakistan has reportedly developed and tested a messaging app called 'Beep', designed for secure communication among officials.

In order to counter the frequent internet blackouts in the country, Pakistan has reportedly developed and tested a messaging app called 'Beep', designed for secure communication among officials. The new platform is being dubbed as an alternative to WhatsApp and would help federal officers stay connected even when the internet is down. Beep has been exclusively developed in Pakistan and has been undergoing 'successful' trial runs since 2023 when the then-IT minister, Syed Aminul Haque first revealed plans for the app. According to reports, the Pakistani government is now planning to roll out the application for all its employees within the next 45 days. Shaza Fatima Khwaja, the state minister for information technology and telecommunication, said 'Beep' would help ensure “data privacy and protection” in government communications. “We have developed an application focused on secure and unified communication among government officials. The purpose of Beep Pakistan is to protect our privacy and data,” Khwaja was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera. The minister added that the government hopes to roll out the app for citizens at a later stage. "The design of the application is robust enough to offer it to the general citizens of Pakistan at later stages if desired," said Khwaja. Watch | Pakistan general elections 2024: Mobile phone services suspended across Pakistan as voting begins × Internet blackouts in Pakistan Pakistan is notorious for routing internet blackouts which the government justifies as a security measure. In the lead-up to the general elections, earlier this year, internet services were heavily curtailed in different parts of the country. Former prime minister Imran Khan claimed the internet disruptions were a way for the ruling class to cull dissent while facilitating vote rigging. Also read | Internet services in Pakistan restored after hours-long nationwide disruption Users across the country have lodged complaints with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the country’s top telecom regulator, about routine internet throttling. Netizens complain that social media platforms such as X, Facebook and Instagram become nightmare to open while multimedia content on WhatsApp becomes barely accessible during the blackouts. Notably, Pakistani authorities have been on the fence about WhatsApp and the security the Meta-owned platform provides after nearly two dozen federal officials were targeted by Pegasus, a spyware developed by the Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO, in 2019. The government had instructed officials at the time to avoid using WhatsApp to send confidential material that could cause harm to the country if it got in the wrong hands. (With inputs from agencies)

Pakistan’s homegrown WhatsApp alternative ‘Beep’ ready for launch amid internet blackouts

Pakistan has shut down access to Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube ahead of "virtual jalsa" by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Users across Pakistan reported finding it difficult to access social media platforms in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad since 8 pm (local time).&nbsp;

Users also complained about internet services being slow.&nbsp;

"Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to social media platforms across #Pakistan, including X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube," the internet tracking agency Netblocks wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) did not respond to the widespread complaints, which indicated the stifling of the political expression of individuals owing allegiance to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and his Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pti-lets-go-founder-imran-khan-as-party-captain-to-save-bat-for-elections-665466">PTI lets go founder Imran Khan as party captain to save 'bat' for elections</a>

Pakistani&nbsp;lawyer and human rights activist Jibran Nasir said: "They actually messed with the internet affecting millions of subscribers and hundreds of thousands of businesses only to oppose PTI virtual rally. This is beyond madness."

In Pakistan, the military-intelligence nexus, dubbed as establishment, continues to remain the real power behind the semblance of democracy that emerges from Islamabad's Prime Minister's Office.

The South Asian country is scheduled to hold elections in February 2024,&nbsp;nearly two years after Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan was ousted from power after a parliamentary no-trust-vote which Khan <a href="&lt;blockquote class=&quot;twitter-tweet&quot; data-media-max-width=&quot;560&quot;&gt;&lt;p lang=&quot;en&quot; dir=&quot;ltr&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;America ney ik ...America nahi bahar se mulk..matalb kis aur mulk se..(America...no not America some other country)&amp;quot;, Pakistan PM Imran Khan during his address to nation indicating foreign hand in destabilizing his govt. &lt;a href=&quot;https://t.co/5Npq1fTbjg&quot;&gt;pic.twitter.com/5Npq1fTbjg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/sidhant/status/1509571970903719938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&quot;&gt;March 31, 2022&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src=&quot;https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js&quot; charset=&quot;utf-8&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;">alleged</a> was orchestrated at the US' behest.&nbsp;

Also watch |&nbsp;Pakistan: PTI leaders announce possibility of talks with PML-N &amp; PPP

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Since August 2023, Imran Khan has remained jailed following a conviction in a corruption case. Earlier this week,&nbsp;a special court once again indicted former prime minister as well as&nbsp;ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cypher case for allegedly leaking state secrets and violating the laws of the country.

Besides, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has prohibited the registration of new voters, as well as the deletion, revision, and correction of votes on electoral rolls, ARY News reported on Sunday.

(With inputs from agencies)

Pakistan has shut down access to Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube ahead of "virtual jalsa" by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

Pakistan has shut down access to Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube ahead of "virtual jalsa" by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Users across Pakistan reported finding it difficult to access social media platforms in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad since 8 pm (local time). Users also complained about internet services being slow. "Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to social media platforms across #Pakistan, including X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube," the internet tracking agency Netblocks wrote on X (formerly Twitter). The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) did not respond to the widespread complaints, which indicated the stifling of the political expression of individuals owing allegiance to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and his Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Also read | PTI lets go founder Imran Khan as party captain to save 'bat' for elections Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist Jibran Nasir said: "They actually messed with the internet affecting millions of subscribers and hundreds of thousands of businesses only to oppose PTI virtual rally. This is beyond madness." In Pakistan, the military-intelligence nexus, dubbed as establishment, continues to remain the real power behind the semblance of democracy that emerges from Islamabad's Prime Minister's Office. The South Asian country is scheduled to hold elections in February 2024, nearly two years after Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan was ousted from power after a parliamentary no-trust-vote which Khan alleged was orchestrated at the US' behest. Also watch | Pakistan: PTI leaders announce possibility of talks with PML-N & PPP × Since August 2023, Imran Khan has remained jailed following a conviction in a corruption case. Earlier this week, a special court once again indicted former prime minister as well as ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cypher case for allegedly leaking state secrets and violating the laws of the country. Besides, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has prohibited the registration of new voters, as well as the deletion, revision, and correction of votes on electoral rolls, ARY News reported on Sunday. (With inputs from agencies)

Pakistan: Social media platforms face disruption ahead of virtual gathering of Imran Khan's supporters