The breakdown of the Internet during the PTI’’s second virtual rally on Sunday has once again prevented a vast host of people going about their lawful occasions on the Internet. As the slowdown of the Internet, which more or less prevented social media sites from opening, may have impacted those engaged in the digital economy and earning precious foreign exchange, it has caused an uncalculated damage to the economy. It might be remembered that the same thing happened three weeks ago, at the previous PTI virtual rally. It might be remembered that party chief Imran Khan addressed the rally through an Artificial Intelligence-generated doppelganger, as his being in jail prevented a personal appearance.
That the PTI is forced to hold virtual rallies reflects the reality that it cannot hold rallies normally, even though it is in the midst of an election campaign. With polls a month away, the PTI has got to find some means of overcoming the media ban on Mr Khan, who is the party’s most effective campaigning asset. The ban, which does not discriminate between PTI supporters and ordinary users, is not as useful as it seems to those using it. It also reflects a rather archaic mode of thinking, which takes a scorched-earth approach to the media, and which only worked before the advent of social media. Social media is such that if one hole is closed, others open. Even countries like China, which has tried to develop local internet ecosystems, has found that determined netizens get onto banned platforms. Even if the government tries to explain this away as a genuine breakdown which only coincided with the virtual rally, it will not believe itself. In the words of James Bond (in the speech given to him by his creator, Ian Fleming): “Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, thrice is enemy action.” We have reached the level of coincidence. Next time will be enemy action.
Those thinking that this will stop the PTI getting its message out should realize that they are merely driving a tech-savvy party to find other solutions, and thus will fail to achieve their purpose. The whole episode also throws doubt on the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, which should have found out why the first breakdown occurred, and have implemented measures to prevent this recurrence.
