Campaigning ends, govt remains non-committal to ‘smooth’ internet functioning

ISLAMABAD:

As the nation prepares for the general election on Thursday (tomorrow), the government remains non-committal to ensuring the smooth functioning of the internet – a platform which the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is relying as a last resort to sway its voters and voice its concerns.

In response to the government’s move, the Amnesty International (AI), and several other human rights organisations, issued a call to the authorities, urging them to guarantee uninterrupted access to the internet and digital communication platforms for all citizens across the country during the upcoming elections.

Internet services have been affected thrice in the past two months. The first time on December 17, second on January 7 and the latest one on January 20. The suspensions coincided with the PTI’s virtual events.

The interim government attributed the internet outages across the country to “technical issues”, stating that there was no assurance that such incidents would not recur in the future.

On January 24, the Sindh High Court (SHC) restrained the relevant authorities from suspending internet services till the general elections.

The SHC ordered the caretaker federal government and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ensure uninterrupted internet services till the polling day.

The order came on a petition filed by human rights defender and lawyer Jibran Nasir, who was contesting the polls for PS-110 as an independent candidate, against the frequent “unconstitutional” internet outages in the country in recent days.

Recently, the PTI moved the Supreme Court, urging it to take notice of the disruption of popular social media platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Addressing a news conference in the federal capital on Tuesday, interim Interior Minister Goher Ejaz dispelled rumours surrounding the elections on Feb 8, saying until now the authorities had not received any directives to shut down the internet services on the day.

He added that any such action would only be taken upon a request from a province or a district.

“As of now, no decision has been made to shut down mobile or internet services. However, if necessary, considerations are made based on security requests from specific districts or provinces [internet and mobile service will be suspended],” he remarked.

The interior minister was flanked by Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi and Interior Secretary Aftab Akbar Durrani.

Expressing his commitment to ensuring security, the minister stressed that no compromise would be tolerated on maintaining law and order during the elections.

He underscored the collaboration between security agencies and the administration to prevent any unlawful interference.

He highlighted the presence of trained commandos in Balochistan and the support of the armed forces in ensuring the safety of the electoral process.

Providing an overview of the election preparations, the interior minister shared that out of 90,777 polling stations across the country, 44,000 were declared normal, 29,985 deemed sensitive, and 16,766 had been labelled as highly sensitive.

He urged the nation to vote ‘honestly’ on Feb 8, and added that the country’s reputed media had a significant role to play as it enjoyed the trust of 250 million people.

He said seven to eight security personnel would be deployed at each polling station, along with CCTV cameras installed at those declared sensitive. He added that thousands of police personnel will be deployed across the nation to ensure security on election day.

“All the CCTV cameras have been installed by us, we have 90,777 polling stations, 40,000 polling stations are normal but security is also deployed here. more than 16,000 polling stations are highly sensitive, while the federal government has marked 135 polling stations as sensitive,” the minister said.

Speaking on the occasion, interim information minister noted that the government had no directives yet to suspend mobile and internet services on election day.

Emphasising the gravity of the security situation, Solangi maintained that no such orders had been passed yet, while underscoring the authority of local administrations to assess security conditions and make decisions accordingly, particularly in areas experiencing a deterioration in security.

Solangi revealed that the information ministry had taken steps to facilitate local and foreign journalists and observers. An online helpline had been established to provide assistance and support to media professionals and observers, he said.

Furthermore, the minister acknowledged that while extraordinary situations necessitated extraordinary solutions, the current circumstances did not warrant such measures.

He drew attention to the proliferation of fake news, and propaganda on social media platforms, highlighting the severity of the security challenges. Despite these challenges, he affirmed that Pakistan remained resolute in its commitment to combat terrorism.

Meanwhile, the AI, in collaboration with other human rights organisations, urged the authorities to ensure uninterrupted access to internet and digital communication during the upcoming polls.

Expressing concern over the potential limitations on internet access, the AI underscored the importance of upholding the right to freedom of expression and ensuring that citizens can freely share and access information online.

In the light of these developments, the rights organisations specifically called upon Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take proactive measures to guarantee full internet access and social media usage throughout the election period.

The ability to access the internet and utilise social media platforms is vital for citizens to participate in democratic processes, engage in informed discourse, and exercise their fundamental rights, the organisation said.

The AI and its partners emphasised that any disruptions in internet access during the election would not only undermine the democratic process but also impede the ability of citizens to access crucial information and express their viewpoints freely.

Meanwhile, the period for chanting convincing slogans, enticing people with their manifestos, and soliciting votes came to a close as the deadline set by the ECP expired at midnight on Wednesday.

Now, the nation prepares to go to the polls on February 8 (tomorrow).

Though the political parties had initiated their electoral campaign after the announcement of election schedule by the polls supervisory body, a notable surge in their activities was witnessed after they were allotted election symbols on January 13.

Around 111 political parties are set to contest the Feb 8 polls to woo more than 128 million registered voters, while the PTI is out of the fray due to the non-allotment of election symbol.

The PTI’s candidates are contesting as independents.
With much hue and cry over the conformity of holding polls and the incarceration of PTI founding chief, the caretaker government was grappled with a formidable law and order situation during this period.