Students, businessmen and delivery workers are among millions of people affected by four days of internet shutdown imposed in Pakistan because of political violence.
Internet services were cut off after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, which sparked violent protests and arson attacks across the country. Mr Khan was granted two weeks' bail on Friday as his supporters planned further demonstrations.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the internet ban would continue until all the instigators and perpetrators of the violence had been arrested.
Speaking to the Geo News channel, Mr Sanaullah said he would seek the prime minister’s advice if the situation regarding Mr Khan persisted beyond May 17.
The decision to suspend mobile broadband to the country’s 125 million subscribers and block access to social media apps has caused widespread frustration and inconvenience.
""I can't get orders because mobile data isn't working," said Sultan Niaz, 25, a food delivery rider who estimated that the shutdown cost him 9,000 rupees ($30) in lost earnings over three days.
Mr Niaz relies on the WhatsApp messaging service to receive food orders and to track down customers through the main roads, narrow streets and densely populated neighbourhoods of Peshawar. Finding a location in Pakistan's oldest city can be difficult because not every street and structure is properly named or numbered.
Apart from the loss of GPS-based tracking, security forces have blocked roads and intersections in Peshawar and other major cities to deter protesters, meaning Mr Niaz has to use longer alternative routes that consume more fuel for his motorcycle.
"Roadblocks and data outages have ruined my days," he said.
Muhammad Imran, 24, said he was unable to submit his application for a post-graduate course in the UK online and had to travel 136km from Dir to Peshawar to make sure it was received on time.
"Normally, it takes three hours to reach Peshawar, but due to protests and the closure of the main routes, it took me five hours to get there. It was quite disturbing and worrying," he said.
For Asim Khan, who lives in a village in the Upper Dir area of Pakistan's north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the internet restrictions have left him feeling cut off from the rest of the country during a significant time.
"We rely on social media for news, but with most social media apps being restricted since Tuesday, we feel disconnected from the events taking place in Islamabad or Peshawar and other provinces," Mr Khan said.
Siraj Udin has a full-time job but also has a side business selling goods through Amazon. Usually he is able to keep an eye on his Amazon business account even while at work, but not since mobile internet services were blocked.
"Normally, I check my Amazon account every two to three hours to see if there are any orders, messages, or comments. However, due to the internet shutdown, I wasn't able to check my account for nine to 10 hours of work," he said.
Human rights organisations criticised the shutdown and called on the government to lift the restrictions immediately.
Human Rights Watch said that besides the adverse effect on businesses, the economy and education, the sweeping measure denied ordinary people access to lifesaving information, interfered with access to health care, and restricted the ability of journalists to upload photos and videos documenting government overreach and abuse.
"The most difficult thing for us was staying in touch with our organisation and collecting data," said Wasim Sajjad, a journalist working with an international news organisation.
Sending images of the protests was also challenging, he told The National.
"After staying for a while and shooting in the protest, I would return and somehow try to connect to a broadband connection which was luckily working to send visuals," he said.
"Going back to the field was also a challenge because the main routes were closed. It was hard to manage, but we did our best to keep updating the office."
He said keeping in touch with his family to assure them he was safe while covering the protests was also difficult.
Aside from causing an information blackout and impeding communication, the shutdown is taking a toll on the struggling economy as the country awaits a $1 billion bail-out from the International Monetary Fund.
According to reports in the Pakistani media, the telecommunication sector has suffered a loss of $2.85 million since Tuesday, while the government has lost nearly $1 million in tax revenue.
As soon as the shutdown was announced on Tuesday, Twitter users began to share ways to bypass the ban and to discuss the most effective VPN services.
According to a post by one user, Zubair Ud Din, Mr Khan and hashtags expressing support for him were among the top trends on Twitter despite the platform being officially blocked in Pakistan.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
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Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
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Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
Company%20profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THREE
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England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
