Islamabad, Aug 22: On Thursday, representatives of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) informed the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom that the country’s internet services are being overburdened due to the usage of virtual private networks, or VPNs.
According to PTA authorities, businesses will suffer if they decide to restrict VPNs. The officials made an attempt to claim that the use of VPNs had caused internet services to become so unreliable that the entire infrastructure was failing.
In response to a committee inquiry concerning the status of efforts to restore regular internet access nationwide, representatives stated that an underground cable had malfunctioned, and one submarine cable should be repaired by August 27, 2024. PTA representatives were unable to give a timeline for the repair of the second cable.
Concerns regarding the latest X prohibition were brought up during the discussion. According to PTA officials, the platform was stopped by the Interior Ministry after it declined to take down contentious statements about violations of religious and community beliefs. Although the platform is prohibited, users can still access it through VPNs, which PTA officials acknowledged they are unable to fully prohibit without interfering with business operations.
A committee member questioned the ineffectiveness of these social media restrictions, pointing out that they merely cause reputational harm and public discontent.
