Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Wednesday voiced serious concerns over persistent connectivity issues and expressed concerns about the arbitrary shutdown of internet services without justification. Presided over by Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan, the meeting scrutinized the deficiencies in monitoring mechanisms. It criticized the lack of transparency surrounding internet disruptions, even after a detailed briefing by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman. The Chairperson emphasized the distinction between blocking specific content and implementing a complete internet shutdown, asserting that the latter is unwarranted. Senator Kamran Murtaza echoed this sentiment, suggesting that such shutdowns appear politically motivated rather than based on technical considerations, and called for the process to be politicized. Highlighting a report published in Dawn that estimated financial losses in billions due to internet disruptions, Senator Palwasha expressed concern over the poor quality of internet services in Pakistan, which ranks just above Myanmar globally despite significant investments. She underscored that such reports often have some factual basis, though Ministry officials denied the claims, clarifying that national outages referenced in the media occurred only during elections. The PTA Chairman informed the committee that social media applications are restricted based on the Supreme Court’s and High Court’s directives. To address legal ambiguities, the Committee instructed that the Law Division provide clarity on the rules framed under the PECA Act, 2016, particularly regarding internet outages.
