The Senate Standing Committee on IT expressed frustration over the shutdown of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in the country, summoning responses from the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Interior. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman, assured that companies with whitelisted VPNs would not face internet disruptions.
On Monday, a meeting of the IT Committee, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, took place. Addressing the meeting, she stated that ongoing internet issues were causing significant damage to businesses, and lamented the absence of the Minister of State for IT from the meeting. Senator Palwasha Khan criticized the Ministry’s performance and expressed intentions to write to the Prime Minister about the issue, questioning why the Minister was avoiding answering queries.
Committee member Senator Kamran Murtaza raised concerns about internet access being a fundamental human right, pointing out that the installation of firewalls to restrict access was a violation of these rights. Senator Afnan Ullah added that the Ministry of IT is responsible for VPN regulations, questioning why the Ministry of Interior was involved in issuing directives.
The committee members also expressed outrage at linking VPN usage to religious matters, stating that such comparisons mocked religion.
Briefing by PTA Chairman
Chairman PTA Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman briefed the committee, clarifying that VPNs are still operational in Pakistan and are crucial for the IT industry, freelancers, and companies. He explained that a VPN registration policy was established in 2016, and registration had recently resumed. He assured that registered VPN users would not face internet shutdowns, noting that 25,000 VPNs had already been registered. He emphasized that shutting down the internet causes significant harm to the industry.
Internet Shutdown in Balochistan
Senator Kamran Murtaza raised concerns about the internet outage in Balochistan, asking if VPN usage was the reason. The PTA Chairman responded that the shutdown was based on a written directive from the Ministry of Interior, linked to ongoing operations and security risks in the region. He confirmed that internet shutdowns were implemented only on the Ministry’s orders.
The committee has requested a detailed response from the Ministry of Interior in the next meeting regarding the VPN shutdown order.
Over 500,000 Websites Blocked
The PTA Chairman reported that over 500,000 websites hosting unethical content had been blocked. Despite this, attempts to access these sites had reached 20 million within a week. Senator Humayun Mohmand emphasized the need for public awareness and education to combat the spread of unethical content.
Hafeez Ur Rehman mentioned that PTA had sought assistance from religious scholars to address the issue of people accessing such content. Despite blocking, the demand remained high.
The Chairman explained that VPN registrations were being managed carefully, and currently, Pakistan hosts the top 27 VPNs. He noted that VPNs in Pakistan enable unrestricted access to any content.
A representative from the Ministry of IT added that more than one million freelancers in Pakistan are using VPNs, and other countries like the Gulf states, China, and Turkey also have registered VPNs.
When Chairperson Palwasha Khan inquired about internet speed issues, the Chairman clarified that a submarine cable disruption had occurred in August, but the internet was now stable.
