Pakistan — Zerorated Websites

Despite the short-term wins, tech policy experts warn that zero-rating violates the principle of Net Neutrality—the idea that all internet traffic should be treated equally.

So, are zero-rated websites a boon or a bane for Pakistan? zerorated websites pakistan

The most pragmatic path forward may be a middle ground—what some call “targeted zero-rating.” For example: Despite the short-term wins, tech policy experts warn

As of 2025, no such policy exists. The PTA’s draft Cloud First Policy and Digital Pakistan vision mention affordable access but dodge the zero-rating debate. The most pragmatic path forward may be a

Until then, a young coder in Karachi will continue to learn JavaScript from free YouTube (zero-rated on some packages) but will never discover a local coding forum that isn’t. And a farmer in Sahiwal will check free Facebook for crop prices, unaware that a local agri-app, built by a Pakistani team, has better data—but a price tag.

In Pakistan, the internet is not level. And zero-rating is the invisible hand tilting the table.

In 2018, PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) introduced the Prohibition of Anti-Competitive Practices in Telecom Rules, which discouraged discriminatory data tariffs. Yet zero-rated offers persist under the guise of “promotional packages.” Users are not choosing WhatsApp because it’s better; they are choosing it because everything else is unaffordable.