KARACHI; Large swathes of Pakistan were left offline on Tuesday after a nationwide internet outage disrupted businesses, banking services, education and daily communications, in what industry representatives described as one of the country’s worst breakdowns in years.
According to the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP), nearly two-thirds of users were affected.
The group noted that the blackout occurred on the same date as a similar nationwide collapse in 2022, when floods damaged major fibre routes a coincidence that has reignited concerns over the fragility of Pakistan’s digital infrastructure.
“This is a national failure,” said WISPAP chairman Shahzad Arshad. “Internet outages are no longer rare accidents in Pakistan; they are becoming routine. For two-thirds of the country to go dark in 2025, on the exact date we witnessed the same collapse in 2022, should trigger alarm at every level of government.”
Arshad stressed that reliable internet access is now as critical as electricity, with hospitals, freelancers, students and financial institutions all reliant on uninterrupted connectivity. “Every hour offline costs Pakistan millions and erodes our credibility abroad,” he warned.
The association has urged regulators to strengthen resilience by diversifying infrastructure, encouraging more providers, setting up regional internet exchanges, and investing in backup systems.
While smaller internet service providers manage to keep some communities online during major disruptions, Arshad cautioned that without comprehensive reforms, such efforts cannot compensate for systemic backbone failures.
“Pakistan’s digital future cannot remain hostage to single points of failure,” he added. “We need decisive reforms — not repeated apologies.”
