NA body summons Secretary Interior on internet issue

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Thursday summoned the Secretary Interior Ministry in the next meeting over the internet issue.

The committee, chaired by Syed Amin Ul Haq, also sought an in-camera briefing from the Interior Minister on the internet issue.

The standing committee meeting directed the authorities concerned to take serious measures regarding the issue of Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and the internet in the country. VPN should not be shut down while remaining within the rule of law, the committee chairman added.

The committee has also summoned P@SHA to the next meeting to brief them bout the damage caused by the recent slow internet problem. The committee has also summoned the Law Ministry Secretary to the next meeting.

Committee member Sharmila Farooqi expressed frustration over IT Minister Shaza Fatima, noting her non-seriousness regarding the issues of internet service in the country.

Farooqi expressed disappointment, saying “Four meetings have been held and the issue has not been resolved yet.”

PPP lawmaker argued that “Either we are lying or the government is lying,” adding that P@SHA has provided the numbers of the loss.

Farooqi alleged, “Are we fools who leave all work and come to the committee and the IT Minister claims that everything is going well.”

“The moment Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) calls for the protest, the internet immediately gets shut down,” she maintained.

‘Digital highways for better internet’

Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has said that the government has not spent a single penny on telecom infrastructure.

The Chairman discussed the challenges faced in the digital landscape, citing that WhatsApp had reported ongoing issues, despite efforts to address the concerns

He stressed that the government should build “digital highways” for the betterment of the internet connectivity infrastructure, otherwise, issues would persist.

Furthermore, referring to the PECA Act, the PTA Chairman said that we can block or unblock social media sites only after the directives from the government. PTA does not have a middle gear to slow down social media platforms, he assured.

According to the PTA Chairman, three out of the seven submarine cables connecting Pakistan to the global internet were cut, leading to disruptions in internet services. However, he confirmed that the cables were fully restored by October, following a delay of five months.

“Not a single new submarine cable has been installed in the last 10 years. Installing submarine cables and laying fiber cables is the government’s job,” he alleged.

The Chairman Committee asked the PTA chairman about the list of PTCL’s properties, saying that so far the list of properties has not been submitted to the committee. “Does PTCL have the authority to sell its assets on its own,” the committee chairman questioned.