Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Hafeezur Rehman on Thursday claimed the regulator was ready to end the ban on X, formerly Twitter, if the government directs it do so.
Appearing before the Senate’s Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, he was asked by Senator Abdul Qadir whether the PTA was planning on restoring access to the social media platform. “We will [remove the ban] on the day the government asks us to,” he said, noting that of all the social media platforms accessible in Pakistan, X had the worst compliance response to concerns raised by Pakistan. He claimed the platform had addressed just 7 percent of the complaints forwarded to it in the last months.
Clarifying that the PTA only blocked social media platforms if the government requested it do so, he maintained complaints were lodged with platforms only if certain content violated Pakistani law.
X has been blocked for access in Pakistan since Feb. 17, with the Interior Ministry citing national security concerns for the decision. However, it can still be accessed by using virtual private network (VPNs), which are even availed by government functionaries who continue to use the platform.
Addressing the use of VPNs to bypass restrictions on internet usage, the PTA chairman noted that available information suggested the use of X had reduced by 70 percent after the ban despite the availability of various VPNs. “Only 30% of users are using VPN,” he said, adding VPNs can also be blocked if they are misused.
To a question, he told the committee members that the PTA was preparing a list of “whitelisted” VPNs, which would be permitted to operate in Pakistan, while the remainder would be blocked.
According to Rehman, roughly 56 percent of Pakistanis have internet access. He said the government hoped to increase this number by improving cellphone networks, adding the 5G auction would likely occur in March or April.
To a question on whether content creators were paying taxes on income generated through international platforms, the PTA chairman said no existing legislation permitted this. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar offered some clarity, claiming the government was negotiating with international social media platforms for this purpose. He said some social media platforms were also considering establishing virtual offices in Pakistan due to security concerns.