Ready to unblock X when directed by Govt, says PTA Chairman

Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman Hafeezur Rehman stated on Thursday that the ban on X (formerly Twitter) would be lifted whenever the government decides.

This announcement was made during a meeting of the Senate's Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, chaired by Rana Mahmoodul Hasan in Islamabad. The platform has been banned in Pakistan since February 17 due to national security concerns, but it is still accessible via virtual private networks (VPNs).

Following the ban, several petitions were filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the restrictions and the occasional suspension of internet services. Last month, the federal government justified the ban in a response to the SHC, citing national security concerns.

During the Senate meeting, Senator Abdul Qadir asked if there were any plans to lift the ban. Rehman replied, "We will lift the ban on the day the government asks us to." He also mentioned that only 7% of complaints sent to the platform in the last three months had been addressed, noting that X has the lowest compliance rate among social media platforms.

Rehman explained that the PTA only blocks platforms at the government's request and that they inform these platforms about any complaints that violate Pakistani law. He mentioned that the use of X in Pakistan has dropped by 70% despite the availability of VPNs and that only 30% of people are using VPNs. The PTA is whitelisting VPNs, meaning only selected ones will be available in Pakistan.

Rehman also noted that 56% of Pakistanis have internet access and that a 5G auction is expected in March-April next year. Regarding taxes on content creators, Rehman said there is currently no legislation for taxing income from international ads.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar stated that negotiations with international social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are ongoing to address taxation on commercial use. He added that these platforms are considering opening virtual offices in Pakistan due to security concerns.

The cabinet secretary mentioned that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) would address the issue of advertisements on social media. He also shared that local manufacturing of mobile phones has begun, allowing people to buy phones in installments, promoting digitalization.

The secretary highlighted that 37 local companies are manufacturing around 20 million phones annually in Pakistan, 40% of which are smartphones. Rehman added that telecom customers in Pakistan face a 34.50% tax and that there have been no cyberattacks on telecom services in the past two years.