Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) officials mentioned in a statement that the government was unable to block Virtual Private Networks (VPN).
Officials of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom on Thursday that the use of virtual private networks (VPN) has overloaded internet services throughout the country.
The revelation was revealed on Thursday in Islamabad at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Information Technology, which was presided over by Senator Palwasha Mohammadzai Khan.
Officials from the Pakistan Software Export Board disclosed during the conference that Pakistan’s share in the global IT market is less than 0.04%.
Last year the country experienced a 20% growth in IT regardless of this. The United States (54%), Europe (21%), and the Gulf countries (10%) are the main sector markets for the IT sector.
In response to a committee inquiry regarding the status of restoring regular internet access nationwide, officials stated that one submerged cable should be repaired by August 27, 2024, while another subterranean cable was experiencing issues.
PTA representatives were unable to give a timeline for the repair of the second cable.
During the meeting, questions were raised about the recent ban of X. The PTA officials noted that Twitter was blocked following instructions from the Ministry of Interior due to non-compliance with content regulations. Despite the ban, the platform remains accessible via VPNs.
They also stated that certain services cannot be accessed in Pakistan without VPNs. The PTA cannot control or block VPN as doing so would impact businesses.
The committee has asked for a schedule for fixing underwater cables and has called off the meeting till later.
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