Imran Sadiq, a driver at Careem, just wants the protests to end. He is one of thousands of people who need political peace in Pakistan so they can put a meal on their table.
“I am not the owner of the car that I drive,” he told Aaj News. “Instead, I have to pay daily rent to the owner of the vehicle.” Irrespective of how much he earns, he has to pay the car owner a fixed amount. But if the internet is shut off as it was across the country to hem in coordination among protesters, these workers don’t make a dime.
Imran normally earns about Rs2,700 a day from Careem. However, on the day Imran Khan was arrested, he only earned around Rs1,600. He could not work during the two days the internet was cut off.
Imran Khan was arrested on May 9, and from that evening the government cut off the internet across Pakistan. Cable internet was still working, but no one could use 3G or 4G mobile broadband. As a result, all apps stopped working.
The spokesperson for ride-hailing company Careem, Nuzair, confirmed that this had “severely” impacted ride-hailing businesses.
This suspension hurts “both customers who rely on it daily to get to school, work and other appointments, and also the hundreds of thousands of hardworking drivers who use the platform to earn their livelihood and support their families.”
Although internet service was restored on Saturday, it was still patchy. Imran’s earnings came down to Rs1,500.
“The ban has caused many difficulties. We don’t have Wifi devices on the go so the mobile broadband ban means we are unable to book rides on the road,” said Bykea rider Anas Raza.
Anas has been a Bykea rider for a year. Depending on his luck, he sometimes earns up to Rs2500 a day. On the day Imran Khan was arrested, his earnings from Bykea came to just 500 rupees. He didn’t earn a penny the next two days.
Ahmed, a food panda rider, put it this way, “The internet is our bread and butter. It’s already so hard to manage due to inflation. Who will pay us back for this… the government or Imran Khan?”
