Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior leader Shazia Atta Marri lamented on Wednesday the slow internet speed in Pakistan.
Expressing her thoughts during the National Assembly session in Islamabad, Marri said, "The internet services have been shut down in the country, but Digital Nation Pakistan Bill is being introduced in the country."
"It makes me laugh that we are bringing the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill despite the internet outages," she rued.
"It's been while that we have been listening about firewalls. Even now we are not capable of talking about e-commerce," Marri maintained.
Also Read: IT minister claims internet usage, speed have increased by 28%
The blocking of the social networking platform 'X' (formerly Twitter) became a focal point of discussion in the National Assembly on Wednesday, as members raised concerns over freedom of expression, slow internet speeds, and the broader implications for digital rights in Pakistan.
– IT minister claims internet usage, speed have increased by 28% –
Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja told the House that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had blocked 'X' on the instructions of the Interior Ministry over security concerns. She emphasized that the closure had no connection to restricting freedom of expression, adding that less than 2% of Pakistanis use the platform.
“If we wanted to limit freedom of expression, we would have banned platforms like Facebook and TikTok, which are used by far more people,” Shaza Fatima argued.
She also claimed that internet usage and speed have increased by 28% recently, attributing current slowdowns to technical issues rather than deliberate restrictions. "Today, freedom of expression is at its peak. The language used against us in this country is intolerable," she insisted.
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