Business
Cloudflare outage exposes Pakistan’s reliance on foreign internet systems | The Express Tribune
KARACHI:
The recent Cloudflare outage that disrupted services across Pakistan has highlighted the country’s heavy reliance on foreign digital infrastructure, underscoring the urgent need for a national preparedness strategy.
When contacted, officials at the Federal Ministry for IT and Telecommunication (ITT) told The Express Tribune that the Government of Pakistan has a robust vigilance system under the National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT). The NCERT monitors systems 24/7 to ensure safety.
On the failure of foreign Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) exposing Pakistan to digital vulnerability and the risk of an absolute halt, an official said Pakistan’s own infrastructure is resilient but interconnected with global networks. “Hence, a global outage naturally affects Pakistan.” The official, however, did not explain Pakistan’s preparedness for such vulnerabilities.
ITT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja was on an official foreign trip and could not be reached.
Cloudflare, a US company whose services include defending millions of websites against malicious attacks, experienced a technical glitch that prevented internet users from accessing several vital websites. Many users complained about slow browsing and denied access to critical sites like the Pakistan Stock Exchange, the Sindh High Court, X and OpenAI, as those too went down.
Sector specialists told The Express Tribune that the Cloudflare outage did not just disrupt services; it exposed how thin Pakistan’s digital foundations remain. IT architects and network engineers said Pakistan’s heavy dependence on foreign CDN and routing layers leaves even local platforms vulnerable to failures occurring outside the country.
They argued that Pakistan urgently needs stronger domestic infrastructure, including locally hosted services, regional Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) and deeper investments in data centres so critical traffic remains within national borders instead of relying on distant networks.
Noman Ahmed Said, Sai Global CEO, said that when Cloudflare, one of the world’s largest internet infrastructure companies, suffered a technical failure on November 18, the impact rippled across continents within minutes. Pakistan felt it immediately. Websites halted, online transactions slowed and digital services struggled to stay online.
The failure did not originate in Pakistan. It was triggered by a faulty internal file inside Cloudflare’s global network. “But the speed with which it brought parts of Pakistan’s digital ecosystem to a standstill revealed a larger, uncomfortable truth that we remain dangerously dependent on foreign platforms without building our own layers of resilience,” he added.
Recalling similar events, he said this was not the first time. Over the past two years, Pakistan has faced a series of disruptions. In January 2025, an AAE-1 undersea cable fault slowed nationwide internet traffic. In August 2025, a major disturbance left the country operating at only 20% connectivity. In September 2025, regional cable cuts disrupted South Asian routes. In 2024, political shutdowns and platform blocks further affected digital services.
“These repeated incidents show a structural issue mirroring that our digital growth has outpaced the infrastructure needed to support it.”
Economic toll
Said noted that short disruptions may seem harmless, but they carry real economic costs. Online banking, e-commerce, remote work and public services are affected.
In 2024 alone, Pakistan lost an estimated $1.6 billion due to internet restrictions and shutdowns, impacting over 80 million users. Daily suspensions can cost over Rs1.3 billion in lost productivity.
The Cloudflare outage lasted only hours, yet it demonstrated how a small global technical glitch can cascade into national-level consequences.
In contrast, Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) Chairman Sajjad Syed maintained that Cloudflare experienced a temporary global issue affecting only the sites that rely on it, while non-Cloudflare sites remained unaffected. He said this is normal, just as when Microsoft Teams goes down while Google remains operational.
Cloudflare is widely used, but alternatives such as Akamai, Fastly, AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure exist. He emphasised that this is not a failure on Pakistan’s part, noting that even major platforms including Google, Facebook, Instagram and Microsoft have experienced outages. He said a recent Microsoft outage disrupted several US airlines and companies.
While millions of users across the country experienced disruption, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) remained conspicuously indifferent. At a time when Cloudflare acknowledged its failure and issued an apology, the PTA issued only a brief, perfunctory press statement, failing to address the scale of inconvenience or offer meaningful guidance. This response highlighted regulatory apathy and raised questions about Pakistan’s claims of digital resilience and preparedness for large-scale disruptions.
A PTA spokesperson stood by the press release, which stated the authority was closely monitoring a major global outage affecting X (Twitter) and Cloudflare. The statement added that PTA was in contact with global platforms and local operators and would continue to observe the situation until services were fully restored. “This is our stance,” she said.
What’s next?
Said suggested that internet access should be treated as national infrastructure, deserving the same priority as power, water and transport. He said the PTA must strengthen regulatory focus by shifting from content policing to enforcing network resilience, redundancy requirements and transparent outage reporting.
He said Pakistan also needs stronger domestic capacity through investments in internet exchange points, local data centres, content caching and cloud edge nodes. “Finally, the country should create a national cyber-resilience framework that defines critical services, assigns responsibilities and conducts national-level simulations,” he added.
“If Pakistan keeps reacting to outages instead of preparing for them, every global glitch will feel like a national crisis. Resilience, not firefighting, is the way forward,” he concluded.
In 2023, the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting ended with a stark warning after its Global Cybersecurity Outlook report revealed that 93% of surveyed experts expect a “catastrophic” cyberattack within two years. This catalysed an internet conspiracy theory that a so-called ‘collapse’ is near.
Local experts, however, dismissed the theory saying a complete collapse is extremely unlikely because the internet is decentralised and built with strong redundancy.
“Whenever a major outage occurs, social media revives theories about a ‘global internet shutdown’ in 2026 or 2028. These ideas are often sparked by misunderstandings of global cyber-risk discussions,” Said commented.
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The layoffs account for 3-4% of Flipkart’s workforce, which is higher than the company’s practice of letting go of 1-2% of employees in the lowest performance bracket every year.
Flipkart Layoffs 2026.
Flipkart Layoffs 2026: Flipkart, the Walmart-owned e-commerce giant, has reportedly asked around 400-500 employees to exit the company this year following its annual performance review process. According to a report by The Economic Times, the layoffs account for roughly 3-4% of Flipkart’s workforce, which is higher than the company’s usual practice of letting go of 1-2% of employees in the lowest performance bracket every year.
Why Has Flipkart Laid Off Employees?
Responding to queries, Flipkart said the move is part of its routine evaluation process. “Flipkart conducts regular performance reviews aligned with clearly defined expectations. As part of this process, a small percentage of employees may transition from the organisation. We are supporting affected employees with transition support,” the company said, according to Mint.
Layoffs Across Teams, Hiring Continues For Senior Roles
The job cuts have reportedly impacted employees across multiple departments and job levels. At the same time, the company continues to recruit senior executives as it prepares for a potential initial public offering (IPO).
According to a report by ANI, Flipkart has recently strengthened its leadership team with several senior appointments.
These include Somnath Das as vice-president (supply chain), Digbijay Mishra as vice-president (corporate communications), Vipin Kapooria as vice-president (business finance), Yogita Shanbhag as vice-president (human resources), and Amer Hussain as vice-president (supply chain for its grocery and quick-commerce businesses).
Flipkart Preparing For India IPO
In December 2025, Flipkart received approval from the National Company Law Tribunal to shift its legal domicile from Singapore to India, a key step ahead of a potential domestic listing.
The restructuring involved merging eight Singapore-based entities into Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd, simplifying the group’s holding structure across businesses such as fashion, health and logistics.
Loss Widens Despite Revenue Growth
Financial data shows that Flipkart continues to expand its business, although losses have widened.
According to data from Tofler, Flipkart India reported a consolidated loss of Rs 5,189 crore in FY25, compared with Rs 4,248.3 crore in FY24.
However, revenue from operations rose 17.3% to Rs 82,787.3 crore, up from Rs 70,541.9 crore a year earlier.
Total expenses also increased 17.4% to Rs 88,121.4 crore, largely due to higher stock-in-trade purchases, which climbed to Rs 87,737.8 crore, compared with Rs 74,271.2 crore in the previous financial year.
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March 07, 2026, 14:51 IST
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Global businesses are feeling the impact of the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, as rising energy prices and disrupted trade routes create uncertainty across markets.
Oil and Energy Prices Surge
The conflict has triggered a sharp rise in global oil and gas prices. Brent crude prices have climbed close to $90 per barrel, raising concerns among businesses and policymakers about inflation and higher operating costs.
Industry leaders warn that prolonged price increases could affect nearly every sector of the global economy.
Higher fuel costs are already pushing up prices for transportation, manufacturing, and consumer goods.
Trade Routes Under Pressure
Shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about 20% of global oil supplies, have slowed significantly as tensions escalate.
Air travel routes across the Gulf have also been disrupted, creating delays for cargo shipments and international flights.
Industries Facing Supply Disruptions
Several industries are beginning to feel the effects:
Aluminium production has been disrupted as shipments through the Gulf face restrictions.
Helium supplies, crucial for semiconductor manufacturing, could also be affected.
Chemical and energy-intensive industries in Europe are already reducing production due to rising gas prices.
The Gulf region accounts for roughly 8% of global aluminium production, making any supply disruption a major concern for global manufacturing.
Businesses Prepare for Economic Impact
Major companies are now hedging energy costs and reviewing supply chains to manage the uncertainty.
Analysts warn that if oil prices reach $100 per barrel, global economic growth could slow significantly.
Some financial institutions estimate global growth could drop by 0.4 percentage points if the conflict persists.
Risk of Another Energy Crisis
Experts say the situation highlights how vulnerable global markets remain to geopolitical shocks.
Business leaders warn that energy volatility, supply chain disruption, and rising inflation could lead to a new global economic slowdown if the conflict continues for an extended period.
Business
Want To Buy A House In Karnataka? Know About The ‘Namma Mane’ Scheme With Affordable Housing & Subsidies
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The programme aims to make land ownership more accessible for eligible residents while supporting the government’s wider goal of providing housing for all.
Under the ‘Namma Mane’ housing scheme 50,000 residential plots will be distributed at concessional rates over the next two years.
What if owning a home became a little more achievable? In the latest Karnataka Budget, the state government has announced a series of housing initiatives aimed at expanding access to affordable homes and residential plots. From the ‘Namma Mane’ scheme offering concessional sites to increased subsidies for beneficiaries and plans for a massive sports complex in Anekal, the announcements signal a renewed push towards housing development across the state.
The Karnataka government has unveiled several housing and infrastructure initiatives in the latest state budget, including the distribution of thousands of residential plots and the construction of a large sports complex in Bengaluru’s Anekal taluk. The announcements are part of broader efforts to expand housing access and improve public infrastructure across the state.
Karnataka Budget Housing Scheme: Key Benefits
One of the key proposals is the introduction of the ‘Namma Mane’ housing scheme, under which 50,000 residential plots will be distributed at concessional rates over the next two years. The programme aims to make land ownership more accessible for eligible residents while supporting the government’s wider goal of providing housing for all.
The Housing Department has also set a new target of sanctioning one lakh houses under various housing schemes in the state. These houses will be approved based on the Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) model, which allows eligible beneficiaries to construct their own homes with financial support from the government.
As part of this initiative, the government has increased the subsidy amount provided under housing schemes. For beneficiaries in the general category, the subsidy has been raised from Rs 1.20 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. Meanwhile, beneficiaries from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will receive increased assistance, with the subsidy rising from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh.
The budget also introduces a change in the process used to select beneficiaries for state housing schemes. Instead of the traditional manual lottery system, selections will now be conducted through an online lottery in Gram Sabhas. The move is expected to improve transparency and streamline the allocation process.
In addition to housing initiatives, the Karnataka Housing Board has announced plans to develop a major sports facility in Anekal taluk of Bengaluru Urban district. The project, titled ‘KHB Surya Krida Grama’, will include the construction of an 80,000-seat cricket stadium designed to host international sporting events.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Slum Development Board is continuing the implementation of housing projects under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (AHP). A total of 1.29 lakh houses are being constructed under the scheme, with 79,134 homes dedicated for the year 2025–26. The state government has allocated an additional grant of Rs 1,136 crore to support the project, providing permanent housing to many slum residents.
Since the Congress government came to power, Rs 7,328 crore has been spent on various housing schemes. So far, 4,19,454 houses have been completed and handed over to beneficiaries. The government has set a target to complete three lakh houses during the current year.
Authorities have also stated that steps will be taken to complete the 4.90 lakh houses sanctioned by the previous government, even though they were approved without grants.
March 07, 2026, 10:51 IST
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