The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has indicated that internet disruptions in Pakistan could persist for an additional period of 90 days

Pakistani internet users, already grappling with recent disruptions, faced another challenging day on January 20. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) provided technical justifications, attributing the blackout to ongoing system upgrades. However, the suggested timeline of “2 to 3 months” heightened public concerns.

Director General Ahmed Shamim Pirzada, alongside Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi and FIA Cybercrime Director of Operations Waqaruddin Syed, held a press conference that was met with skepticism.

The coincidence of the outage with a pre-announced online event by a specific political party led to speculation about intentional throttling. This suspicion gained strength due to a similar pattern of disruptions on December 17 and January 7.

While Minister Solangi acknowledged the possibility of further hiccups, he echoed the technical glitch explanation. However, this tepid reassurance did little to alleviate public concerns, especially considering the suspiciously timed blackouts.

The PTA’s subsequent statement, citing a “technical fault” after the January 20 disruption, only fueled public doubt. Pakistan’s tech-savvy population expressed tangible outrage at the perceived lack of transparency and the extended resolution timeframe.