The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday blamed prevailing internet disruptions nationwide to a fault in the “submarine cable” that connects the country to the worldwide web.
Pakistan has witnessed a significant decline in internet speeds and services this month, with users complaining it is hampering their ability to conduct business or even access the web. The disruptions have particularly impacted businesses that rely on the internet, with various bodies warning firms are seeking to relocate their operations out of the country to avoid loss of business.
Last week, Minister of State for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja had denied the government was slowing down the internet, but admitted an upgrade of its “web management system” was underway to counter security threats.
Taking up the matter, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on I.T. summoned PTA Chairman Maj. Gen. (retd.) Hafeezur Rehman and grilled him on the reasons for the internet slowdowns. “The internet slowdown in the country is due to a faulty submarine cable, which is expected to be repaired by Aug. 28,” claimed Rehman, backing up Khawaja’s claims the government was upgrading its web management system but not installing any new firewall. He said of the seven fiber optic cables connected with Pakistan, one was damaged, which was causing the issues.
Offering further detail on the web management system upgrade, he said it was approved by the federal cabinet in 2019. “The [internet] firewall system was approved in March 2019,” he said, adding the upgrade process had been underway since. “This system was introduced during your regime,” he said to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Omar Ayub, who sought to rebut and claim Imran Khan had rejected the measure.
Admitting the internet slowdowns had caused business losses, Rehman maintained the PTA had no role in it and the country’s web services were suffering from technical issues that he hoped would be resolved within this month.
To a question from a PTI lawmaker over the ongoing ban on X, formerly Twitter, the PTA chairman said this was outside the purview of the regulator and he had no knowledge on the matter. To another question, he denied any plans to block VPNs in the country, while reiterating that the prevailing internet disruptions would continue for another six days.