Businesses, activists decry Pakistan internet slowdown, puts foreign investment at risk

Pakistan’s government is choking the internet and social media while it tests new controls to crush dissent, activists and business leaders say, putting the country’s economic recovery at risk.

Internet networks have been up to 40 per cent slower than normal since July, according to one IT association, while documents, images and voice notes have been disrupted on WhatsApp, used by tens of millions of people.

Digital rights activists believe the state is testing a firewall – a security system that monitors network traffic but can also be used to control online spaces.

“The internet slowdown is due to the installation of a national firewall and content filtering system by the state aimed at increasing surveillance and at censoring political dissent, especially the criticism of the security establishment for its interference in politics,” digital rights activist Usama Khilji told journalists.

The authorities appear to be targeting WhatsApp because of its end-to-end encryption capabilities, which enable users to securely share information without it being accessed by any third-party, he added.

The government, which analysts say is backed by the military, and the telecommunications authority, run a by a retired general, for weeks refused to comment on the slowdown.

It was the defence minister who finally acknowledged what millions of Pakistanis nationwide had already guessed.

“We are undergoing a transition after which all these facilities will be available to you,” Khawaja Muhammad Asif told media this week.

“But there will be some controls to prevent threatening and defamatory content against the state and individuals,” he added, without confirming whether those controls were part of a firewall.

As the backlash grew, IT minister