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Pakistani expats turn to Internet for updates

DUBAI — To keep up with the political developments in their country, Pakistani expatriates in the UAE are increasingly turning to the Internet, both to express their views and keeping up with the latest news.

‘Political’ web sites are gaining popularity among the expats as several of them say they are spending hours surfing the net for news updates.

Several Pakistani expats in the UAE also say that due to government restrictions on TV channels and not enough information being provided by the newspapers, people were opting for Internet ‘news’ sites or blogs to keep up with the latest information.

Many also opined that the Internet also gave them an easy opportunity to express their views as compared to the TV or any other information medium.

“Since the death of Benazir Bhutto and the upcoming elections, our group of friends have met for discussions, but we find that the Internet has offered us a lot in terms of news. We had so many questions and we needed more information, so someone suggested a website which was exclusively discussing the political situation in Pakistan,” explains Muhammed Alam, a businessman based in Sharjah.

“I have seen videos and pictures of the event that have not reached TV channels or newspapers. Though I do not believe them fully, I still think that they provide us with an angle which makes us view the situation in another light,” opines Fariha Mumtaz, a student.

“I know of several websites that have become popular for their political discussions in the present days since the recent political events in the country have turned worse. It’s all word-of-mouth advertisement, but I have found lots of answers to questions that I had,” says Awab Shirazi, a marketing professional.

Engineer Kashif Mirza from Lahore, says, “I have found discussions that I undertook with like-minded people on the Internet to be quite healthy. I have also met people with different view points who are openly discussing issues which also involve the government, without being oppressed.”

He adds, “At least the Internet is one place that has not been banned by the Pakistan government. If they try and pressurise one form of expression, another one pops up. They cannot suppress the voice of the people because, in the present situation in the country, even a person not interested in politics has been affected by the ongoing events. So, somehow and somewhere, they want to express their feelings. The Internet is an effective tool as compared to TV and newspapers because not all people have access to them.”