A Senate panel on Wednesday linked the registration of Starlink, an Elon Musk-owned satellite internet company, with an apology from the billionaire over his tirades against Pakistan on X linking grooming gangs in the U.K. to British-Pakistanis.
The matter was discussed during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan. During the meeting, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman briefed senators on the country’s first National Space Policy, noting it was approved in 2023. He said the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB), governed by the National Command Authority, was established last year and any satellite service would need to be registered by it to operate in Pakistan before getting a license from the PTA.
According to the PTA, Starlink applied for an operating license in February 2022, which was forwarded to the Ministry of Interior for security clearance. The PTA chairman emphasized a license could only issued to Starlink after it registered with the new regulatory board.
The PTA further informed the Senate panel that a Chinese company, Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology, was also interested in offering its services in Pakistan.
Seeking apology
PMLN Senate Afnanullah said Elon Musk should apologize for his social media campaign against Pakistan prior to the issuance of any license for Starlink. “Why we should allow such people to operate businesses here, who are talking against Pakistanis?” he questioned.
Senator Palwasha similarly raised concerns about Musk’s repeated claims on British-Pakistani grooming gangs, stating the narrative was targeted disinformation against Pakistan that was amplified with the collaboration of Indian entities. She questioned if Starlink had re-approached Pakistani authorities after applying for a license two years ago.
The PTA chairman said the matter came under discussion again after Musk told a X user that the service was awaiting Pakistani authorities’ approval to launch Starlink in Pakistan. The committee unanimously resolved to summon the already constituted regulatory body for a briefing in the next meeting.
Separately, Senator Anusha Rahman questioned the PTA’s strategy to deal with “objectionable content” online. Referring to Starlink, she asked how the regulator would deal with objectionable content available on the service provider.
According to the PTA chairman, Starlink in Pakistan would not operate satellite-to-satellite, but would be operated through a gateway based in the country. He said the regulator had already shared its concerns with Starlink, which had agreed to adhere to the government’s policies and assured it would not bypass the prevailing system. The service would also oblige the government’s instructions to block certain content, he added.