Pakistan’s internet firewall may inflict major damage

Significance

The initiative has sparked concerns about its potential to stifle dissent and has drawn strong criticism from human and digital rights advocates both in Pakistan and internationally.

Impacts

• If millions of aggrieved young people find themselves unable to use the internet to express dissent, radicalisation risks could increase.
• Pakistani diaspora politics could become stormier, with angry expatriate opposition supporters staging rallies abroad.
• The partnership with China could receive a boost thanks to new opportunities for information-sharing and firewall maintenance.