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Pakistan is One of The Worst Countries in Terms of Internet Access: Report

Pakistan remains one of the worst countries in terms of Internet access, even within Asia. This was mentioned in a new comprehensive report that talks about the complex relationship between human rights and access to information technology.

The report titled “Pakistan’s Internet Landscape 2022” was written by Jahanzaib Haque, Chief Digital Strategist and Editor at Dawn, and published by Bytes For All, an organization focused on human rights and advocacy.

The report says:

In terms of internet access and overall governance, Pakistan made some gains, but in the context of the world, the country remains among the worst performers, even within just Asia.

The report shed light on the fact that although internet usage has grown, there is still a significant portion of the population, roughly 15%, which remains without access to internet services as well as mobile or telecom services.

Meanwhile, the rest of the population still suffers from slow internet or inconsistency in services, adversely affecting overall access.

Add to this a lack of inclusivity and digital literacy, one of the biggest global gender gaps in access and a struggle to stay online due to loadshedding and blackouts brought on by an energy crisis and catastrophic floods, and a dismal picture emerges.

Pakistan’s overall ranking in Asia was the lowest among 22 countries and stood at 79 globally. This ranking was based on key indicators such as availability, affordability, relevance, and readiness of internet services.

There is still a significant gender disparity in both internet and mobile phone access, identifying it as a major issue in the country. The findings from the GSMA Mobile Gender Gap 2022 Report were referenced, which highlighted Pakistan’s inadequate progress in providing access to females. However, the report did acknowledge a slight narrowing of the gender gap over time.

In summary, Pakistan had the widest gender gap in mobile ownership of all countries surveyed with just half of women owning a mobile phone, as compared to over 75% of men.

In addition, the report brought attention to the consequences of devastating floods that occurred during the latter half of 2022. These floods presented a significant challenge for the government as they affected 33 million people and caused extensive damage to infrastructure, including telecommunication and internet services. The response from the nation highlighted both the capabilities and weaknesses of the state in addressing such crises.

Furthermore, the report’s findings indicated a consistent increase in cybercrime in Pakistan. By December 2022, more than 100,000 complaints had been registered, marking the highest number recorded in the past five years.

Source: Pro Pakistani