The government has allocated over Rs30 billion in the development budget for the acquisition and installation of this filtering system. While the Ministry of Information Technology received the allocation, the project’s execution is managed by another power center, leaving the Ministry’s role akin to that of a post office.
An official stated that the work on the firewall has been underway since January of this year, including the system’s purchase and installation, which is now complete and in the commissioning phase. This phase will take a few weeks to conclude. When asked about the impact on internet-based businesses, the official acknowledged that it might be perceived as a subtle threat but emphasized that businesses are not the target.
Another official clarified that the firewall is aimed at social media influencers, whom the government believes are involved in spreading fake news. The objective is to reduce their reach by blocking or diminishing the visibility of their content. These influencers are already being targeted under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016, with courts being established to try those accused under this law.
Although the firewall is currently in the trial stage, an advertisement from the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) two weeks ago suggested that the paperwork for this purchase might still be in progress. The advertisement, dated July 11, invited tenders for the “supply, installation, and configuration of Next Generation Firewalls (Ex-Chinese brand – LOT A), Web Application Firewall (WAF) [LOT B] for five years with hardware warranty Next Business Day (NBD) and Support (247/365),” with a closing date for submissions on July 26.
A PTA spokesperson explained that this tender is for a separate firewall system, raising questions about the total expenditure on multiple filtering systems, given the Rs30 billion allocation for the first firewall. The spokesperson clarified that the tender is intended for firewalls to be used exclusively on PTA’s internal IT infrastructure, aimed at enhancing the security of PTA’s internal systems at its primary data center and Disaster Recovery site.
Specifically, the PTA has issued a tender for the acquisition of four Next Generation Firewalls and two Web Application Firewalls to ensure robust, layered security for PTA’s internal and application-only systems.
