Pakistan's Ministry Refutes Claims of Internet Throttling

Pakistan's State Minister for Information Technology, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, denied government involvement in recent internet disruptions. She explained the slowdown was due to increased VPN usage, not government intervention. The Lahore High Court has summoned officials to address the issue.

Pakistan's State Minister for Information Technology, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, vociferously denied any governmental interference in the internet disruptions experienced nationwide. Speaking at a press conference, Khawaja dismissed the notion as 'completely false,' addressing suspicions from business communities and internet service providers that the government installed firewalls to monitor internet traffic.

'I want to reassure the public that the internet has neither been shut down nor slowed down by the state,' declared Khawaja. She provided technical explanations attributing the slowdown to the high usage of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) by the public, which bypass Content Delivery Networks and put excessive pressure on live servers.

Khawaja stated that even personal devices experience slowdowns when VPNs are used, owing to increased traffic strain. She further emphasized, 'I can say under oath that the government neither shut down nor slowed down the internet.' The Lahore High Court has called for representatives from the federal government, the information ministry, and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to appear on August 21 to address ongoing concerns regarding internet connectivity.