Islamabad, Nov 9: PTA Declares It Is Not Responsible for Ensuring Safety of Electronic Devices. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which has no connection to telecommunications, has released itself from the duty of protecting electronic equipment, such as pager devices, by claiming that the detection of explosive ingredients is outside its purview.
According to the Authority’s official documents on electronic device security in light of recent pager device explosions in Lebanon and Syria, the identification of explosive material is not PTA’s mandate because it has nothing to do with terminal equipment or telecom systems. This document also discusses the potential threat and operational readiness/mechanism to prevent any unfortunate incident in the future.
Under Section 29 of the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act, PTA is in charge of regulating terminal devices and making sure that the established standards are followed. This entails validating that IMEIs are not reported as stolen, copied, or cloned, as well as comparing mobile device IMEKs with GSMA validity. Additionally, PTA has type-approved other wireless and fixed telecommunications devices, such as VHF/UHF radios, gateways, routers, etc.
Under the Type Approval regime, PTA verifies the type approval application based on the applicant’s submission of international standards testing results from foreign labs recognized by the nation’s national accreditation counsels. PTA guarantees that one of the applicant’s submitted terminal device samples satisfies the technical requirements outlined in the type approval regulations 2021.
Since explosives have nothing to do with telecommunications, identifying them is outside the purview of the PTA. Following the issuing of a type approval certificate to applicants, the devices are commercially imported in large quantities, allowing the appropriate agencies to conduct physical verification or inspection with regard to such illicit materials.
Since it has nothing to do with the telecom systems or terminal equipment, PTA is not required to identify explosive material. The Federal Government has notified the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Rules 2023 in accordance with the National Cyber Security Policy 2021 and the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016.
To support CERT’s operations and services, a forensics lab and a screening/evaluation lab must be constructed in accordance with the aforementioned rules. In order to identify system modifications and aid in the reconstruction of the events leading up to the compromise, Digital Forensics Lab will gather, preserve, document, and analyze evidence from a compromised system.
