ISLAMABAD: Despite claims from authorities that service has been restored, developers in Pakistan are still experiencing degraded access to NuGet package restore, a core component of the global .NET development ecosystem.
The ongoing issue has persisted for nearly two weeks, severely impacting productivity for software engineers and tech firms across the country. NuGet, the official package manager for .NET, is essential for downloading and managing third-party libraries, a process that is currently hindered in Pakistan.
Conflicting Claims from PTA and Ground Reality
In a recent LinkedIn thread, concerns were raised by the local developer community regarding the ongoing NuGet outage. In response, Shaza Khawaja of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reposted the concerns and stated:
“This has been resolved. Please confirm. Thank you.”
However, the official NuGet service status page still lists the “Restore” service as degraded in Pakistan, with the most recent update on May 13, 2025, stating:
“We’re aware about the service unavailability in the Pakistan region. We’re working with our CDN provider on putting a workaround in place and looking into a long-term solution.”
This contradiction raises questions about the communication gap between service providers and regulatory bodies.
Why does it matter?
The ongoing disruption is more than a technical inconvenience; it’s a serious setback for Pakistan’s growing IT sector, which:
- Drives foreign exchange earnings through global software exports
- Powers startups and innovation ecosystems
- Supports thousands of jobs in software engineering and IT services
Lack of access to essential global development tools like NuGet risks undermining the country’s digital credibility on the international stage.
Developer Community Calls for Action
Industry experts and developers are urging authorities to:
- Investigate the root cause of the blockage with transparency
- Prioritize uninterrupted access to global development infrastructure
- Treat internet freedom and tool accessibility as essential infrastructure for economic growth
- Collaborate with global providers like Microsoft to prevent future disruptions
The Current Status (As of May 26, 2025)
Developers experiencing issues are encouraged to contact support@nuget.org or follow @nuget on Twitter for real-time updates.
