ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman has admitted that blocking access to the internet was a ‘legal grey area’ and called for the ministries of law and interior to justify its legality.
In a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology on Wednesday, retired Maj-Gen Hafeezur Rehman said internet shutdowns have been taking place since 2016, and their legality has been brought under question only recently.
He added that the ministries of law and interior must provide a final legal opinion on this matter.
During the meeting, the committee members questioned the telecom regulator’s chief over the practice of shutting down internet services, particularly on the Ministry of Interior’s orders.
PTA chief says law, interior ministries should justify legality of the move; claims two companies have applied for VPN licence
Senators Kamran Murtaza and Humayun Mohmand questioned the legal framework governing the blocking of internet services and social media platforms.
Senator Murtaza challenged the legality of these actions, asking what law empowered the PTA to block the internet.
The PTA chairman responded that the rules allowed the Interior Ministry to direct the regulator to block content or services but emphasised that the law did not specify the blocking of internet services in any particular area.
Senator Murtaza said the parliamentary committee should be provided with a clear legal framework for such actions.
The committee chairman, Senator Palwasha Khan, also expressed serious concerns over slow internet speeds across Pakistan and the legal ambiguities surrounding internet shutdowns and content blocking.
The committee was informed that increasing the network of fibre optic cables was the only solution to improve internet speed.
The committee was told that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure fibre expansion.
Mr Rehman also conceded that the internet speed would remain slow unless significant improvements were made in the digital infrastructure.
He emphasised that the expansion of fibre optic networks, also known as “fiberisation,” was key to boosting internet speed.
Senator Khan stressed the urgent need for better digital infrastructure, particularly the expansion of fibre optic networks, to address the issue of slow internet speeds.
VPN blocking
When asked about curbs on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), the PTA chairman clarified he had not authorised their closure.
He further explained that the regulator had initiated the process to register VPN service providers on Dec 19, and two companies have applied for licences.
The regulator has introduced the new licensing category for service providers to address the problem of what officials call unregistered VPNs, as all but those proxies provided by licensed companies would be deemed unregistered and blocked.
With licensed service providers, authorities would be able to monitor the VPN traffic, as anonymity provided by proxy networks has been one of the biggest gripes of the authorities.
The plan envisages that local com-panies — bound by Pakistan’s laws, terms of their licences, and regulatory provisions — will provide proxy services to users.
This will enable the regulator to exert more control on these companies, as opposed to the status quo, where most VPN providers are foreign companies.
Content moderation
The committee was also briefed on PTA’s efforts to regulate social media content.
Mr Rehman said the PTA receives around 500 complaints daily related to harmful or illegal content on social media platforms.
“We are in continuous dialogue with social media companies to block harmful content, but there remains a significant gap in enforcement,” the PTA chairman added.
The committee also called for clear legal guidelines on internet governance, content blocking and the responsibilities of government agencies in managing digital services.
Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2025
