The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology on Thursday issued a directive to relevant authorities to address the ongoing internet slowdown and social media disruptions within two weeks. The committee also requested a report detailing the financial losses resulting from these issues.
These directives followed concerns raised by committee members about the widespread impact on internet services and social media platforms across the country.
The meeting, chaired by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Palwasha Khan, included officials from the Ministry of IT and the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA).
During the session, committee members expressed alarm over the adverse effects on businesses reliant on IT infrastructure, particularly those in the e-commerce sector.
“Internet slowdown has resulted in losses of at least Rs500 million, causing many e-commerce platforms to consider leaving,” said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Afnan Ullah Khan. He also highlighted issues with uploading and downloading on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
Senator Mohammad Humayun Mohmand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) voiced concerns over the impact of these slowdowns on businesses, warning that it was jeopardizing jobs and discouraging investment. “Without investment, this approach will ruin the entire business sector,” he cautioned.
In response to these concerns, IT Ministry Secretary Aisha Humera Chaudhry explained that the disruption in mobile operator services was likely due to a “technical issue” that she assured would be “resolved soon.” She clarified that the problem was affecting mobile networks rather than Wi-Fi services.
Contrarily, a PTA official claimed that no complaints had been received regarding internet service disruptions.
The committee had also planned to discuss the issue of a national firewall, but this was postponed due to the absence of PTA officials. The PTA was expected to provide an in-camera briefing on the firewall matter at the meeting.
