Senate panel unconvinced by PTA briefing on ‘X ban’

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication has expressed displeasure at the briefing by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) officials on the slowdown of internet services and the ban on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The committee decided to summon Interior Ministry officials in the next meeting after the PTA representatives said that the ban on X was imposed based on instructions from the Ministry of Interior. The Senate panel also expressed displeasure over the absence of PTA chairman from the meeting.

The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, chaired by Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan, convened at the Parliament House on Thursday. The meeting addressed various issues, including the absence of federal minister for information technology and telecommunication and chairman PTA.

The session began with a briefing on the operations and performance of Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) and Electronic Certification Accreditation Council. It was noted that the PSEB, established in 1995 as a Private Software Export Board, operates under a seven-member Board of Directors. Currently, 26,000 IT companies are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). Despite the global IT market being valued at $5 trillion, Pakistan’s share remains less than 0.04%. IT products accounted for 24% of IT growth this year, matching last year’s growth rate.

The committee was informed that Pakistan’s IT exports are distributed as follows: 54% to America, 21% to Europe, 10% to Gulf countries, and 14% to the Asia-Pacific region. Pakistan is home to 2,124 web design services companies, 452 network security firms, and 616 data storage and management companies. Additionally, there are 3,463 IT consulting firms, 870 social media consulting companies, 465 email marketing firms, 664 IT help desk companies, 940 cloud service providers and 81 repair service companies.

Senator Palwasha expressed concern over the lack of transparency in training programs, particularly the HR-ICT Internship Programme, which has trained 3,500 interns over six months with a monthly stipend of Rs20,000. The committee demanded detailed information about the interns, including their names, provinces, and selection criteria.

Senator Anusha Rehman criticised the data provided by the Pakistan Software Export Board, noting inconsistencies in reporting years and demanding complete data for the previous years.

The committee also reviewed the Karachi IT Park project, estimated to cost $187 million and financed by Exim Bank. While the design is complete, delays in the Islamabad IT Park project, expected to be completed by February 2025, were attributed to issues with Korean funding and delayed land allocation by the CDA.

The committee addressed concerns about the hiring of secretary of the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication on a contractual basis rather than from the Federal Service Pool.

PTA officials briefed the committee on nationwide internet service disruptions caused by faults in submarine cables and increased VPN traffic. The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of PTA chairman and questioned the ban on Twitter, reportedly implemented under directives from the Ministry of Interior.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday provided another explanation for intermittent internet disruptions across the country, attributing the issue to faults in “two of the seven international submarine cables connecting Pakistan internationally.”

According to an official statement issued by the telecommunication authority, the AAE-1 cable experienced a 250G outage due to rerouting between Iran and Qatar. “Similarly, the SMW-4 cable (1.5T) has been out of service due to faults near Karachi.” The PTA further stated that operators were rerouting traffic on other available cables to “minimise the impact on internet users in Pakistan.” “The teams are working to fix the fault, and PTA is monitoring the situation until internet speeds are normalised in the country,” the statement concluded.