Social media users and freelancers in Pakistan are facing difficulties due to disruptions in internet services, which are causing immense mental stress, especially for the young people who depend on the internet for their livelihood.
Many young people in Pakistan are affected by slow internet speeds, which is affecting their work and also hurting their relationships with customers. In Karachi, a student named Ezzan who works online after school is struggling with slow internet speeds, which is also causing him to lose online customers. He was working on a big project with 60 orders but is now facing numerous hurdles.
Abdul Hai, a freelancer who relies on the internet for his livelihood, is also having problems. He said WhatsApp isn’t working properly, making it difficult to communicate with his team.
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The report also noted that several companies that provide work to freelancers have suspended operations in Pakistan due to slow internet speeds, which have also damaged Pakistan’s international reputation.
Taxpayers are struggling to file income tax returns due to slow internet speed, with many complaining that the FBR’s online forms do not open and they are unable to upload documents.
Earlier on August 18, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Information Technology and Communications Shaza Fatima Khawaja denied allegations that the government was blocking or throttling internet services, blaming the slowdowns on excessive use of virtual private networks (VPNs) by citizens.
Speaking at a press conference, Shaza Fatima said measures were being taken to address internet issues and acknowledged the problems faced by members of the public due to widespread outages. She explained that a surge in VPN usage has put a huge strain on internet services, causing slowdowns.
(With inputs from ANI)
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