The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology took serious notice of the widespread internet disruptions affecting Pakistan on Thursday. During the meeting, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, the committee voiced deep concerns over the negative impact of slow internet services and social media outages on the country’s economy and businesses.
The committee has called for a detailed report on the financial losses incurred due to these issues, emphasizing the urgency of resolving the matter. Senator Humayun Mohmand underscored the severe effects of sluggish internet speeds and social media app disruptions on business operations nationwide, stating that the ongoing issues are detrimental to Pakistan’s economic stability.
Senator Afnan Ullah estimated that the financial damage caused by these disruptions had already reached at least 500 million rupees. He warned that the persistent problems with media downloads and uploads, particularly on platforms like WhatsApp, were deterring e-commerce businesses from operating within the country.
In response to the committee’s concerns, the Secretary of Information Technology, Aisha Humera, clarified that the disruptions stemmed from mobile operators’ networks, not Wi-Fi services. She assured the committee that her department was actively gathering data from mobile operators and would present a comprehensive report within two weeks. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), however, claimed that they had not received any formal complaints regarding these service disruptions.
The committee also postponed its discussion on the national firewall system, citing the unavailability of PTA officials. A future in-camera session was requested for a detailed briefing on the firewall.
Secretary Humera expressed optimism that the internet issues would be resolved shortly, pledging that her department was working diligently to restore reliable services across the country. The committee has given the authorities a two-week deadline to address and resolve these ongoing internet issues.
