For years, Pakistanis have endured the same frustrating routine: paying hefty internet and mobile data bills only to struggle with sluggish speeds, dropped connections and inexplicable disruptions. What was once dismissed as a temporary inconvenience has now become a structural crisis. The latest discussion in the National Assembly over slow internet speeds, raised during deliberations on making parliament paperless, shows that the problem has become impossible to ignore. When even lawmakers cannot easily access official documents due to poor connectivity, it is clear that the issue extends far beyond occasional public complaints. Yet despite repeated concerns from citizens, businesses and legislators, there appears to be little urgency from the state to address what has become one of the country’s most damaging economic and technological bottlenecks. The costs of this neglect are staggering. Research from Lahore University of Management Sciences estimated that intentional internet disruptions caused global losses of $7.69 billion in 2024, with Pakistan accounting for a remarkable 21 per cent of that total. Another report by Top10VPN found that Pakistan suffered the highest economic losses worldwide from internet outages, totalling $1.62 billion. These figures should alarm policymakers, particularly at a time when the government repeatedly speaks of a digital economy, IT exports and AI. None of these ambitions can materialise without a reliable internet infrastructure. Countries around the world are investing heavily in AI ecosystems, indigenous large language models and digital innovation. Pakistan, meanwhile, remains trapped in debates over connectivity problems that should have been resolved years ago.
The roots of the crisis are not difficult to identify. Since the partial internet blockade in May 2023, internet reliability has steadily deteriorated. Freelancers, one of Pakistan’s most promising sources of foreign exchange, immediately suffered reputational damage when global platforms warned clients that Pakistani workers might miss deadlines due to connectivity issues. Then came the controversial and poorly explained ‘firewall’ or web management system, which many users believe worsened speeds and interruptions nationwide. Government officials now cite power outages, a slowdown in telecom investment and import restrictions as reasons for weak service quality. While these factors may indeed contribute to the problem, they do not absolve the state of responsibility. Businesses and foreign investors are not interested in excuses about fuel shortages, cable maintenance or electricity breakdowns. They require efficiency, reliability and speed.
The contradiction in government policy is becoming increasingly apparent. On the one hand, authorities encourage companies to adopt work-from-home models to conserve fuel and reduce costs. On the other, workers, students and businesses are expected to function on unstable internet connections that frequently make remote work impossible. Pakistan’s IT exports may be growing and the country may have announced an ambitious national AI policy, but these achievements risk becoming little more than slogans if the digital foundation itself remains weak. In today’s world, computing power and connectivity are as essential to economic growth as oil and electricity once were. Without dependable internet infrastructure, Pakistan will fall even further behind in the global digital race. The government must recognise internet connectivity as critical national infrastructure and treat it with the seriousness it deserves before the country’s economic and technological ambitions slip permanently out of reach.
