‘What are you afraid of?’Hina Bayat on government’s internet restrictions

Veteran Pakistani actress Hina Khawaja Bayat has slammed the government for the sluggish internet speeds affecting the country, stating that the poor connectivity is crippling businesses and impacting livelihoods.

In a recent social media post, Bayat expressed her frustration, highlighting the contradiction between the government's claims of improving the economy and the reality of widespread slow internet speeds.

Reports emerged this week that Pakistani freelancers on Fiverr were being shown as "unavailable" on the platform, sparking widespread concern and uncertainty among the community.

"On one hand, we lament our deteriorating economy, and on the other, the government has slowed down internet speeds nationwide," she said.

Bayat pointed out that frequent internet disruptions and slow speeds are hampering businesses, which could lead to widespread unemployment.

"How do you plan to improve the economy by shutting down the internet? What are you afraid of? In this modern age of technology, why are you depriving us of internet access?" she questioned.

Bayat accused the government of destroying the economy and businesses.

"Are you trying to end Pakistan? You are doing what our enemies couldn't do—are you planning to ruin the country this way?" she exclaimed.

The actress concluded by urging the country's top officials to address the issue of slow internet speeds as soon as possible.

This comes as social media and international news agency Reuters reported that the government is installing a firewall system, leading to severe disruptions in internet services across the country.

Pakistani internet users have been experiencing slow internet speeds and issues with sharing messages and attachments on various social media and communications platforms for the past week.

The sluggish internet speeds coupled with the ban on X (formerly Twitter) across the country for almost six months, citing "security concerns", has further complicated the work of freelancers.

Many have viewed the disruptions in light of the government's recently announced firewall initiative, which has been undergoing trials in phases.

However, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has denied that the issue is caused by the firewall. According to telecom industry sources, the trial has been completed, and the network is expected to return to normal within the next two weeks.