ISLAMABAD – The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology on Thursday took serious notice of the widespread internet disruptions across Pakistan.
The committee summoned detailed report on the financial losses caused by the slow internet services and social media outages.
The committee also directed authorities to resolve the issues within two weeks.
During a meeting chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, members of the committee expressed concerns about the impact of slow internet on businesses and the economy.
Senator Humayun Mohmand highlighted that the sluggish internet speed and disruption of social media apps were severely affecting business operations across the country.
Senator Afnan Ullah estimated that the losses from these disruptions had reached at least 500 million rupees.
In response, the Secretary of IT informed the committee that the problem originated from mobile operators’ networks, not Wi-Fi services, and assured that technical issues would be resolved soon. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), however, claimed it had not received any complaints about internet service disruptions.
The committee was critical of the situation, with Senator Afnan Ullah voicing concerns that media download and upload issues on platforms like WhatsApp were driving e-commerce businesses away from Pakistan.
Senator Humayun Mohmand further criticized the impact on livelihoods, warning that continued issues could devastate the country’s business environment.
The committee also postponed its agenda regarding the national firewall system due to the unavailability of PTA officials. A briefing on the firewall was requested in a future in-camera session.
Secretary of IT Aisha Humera reassured the committee that her department was gathering data from mobile operators and would present a comprehensive report within two weeks.
She expressed confidence that the internet issues would be resolved in the near future.
