We are not behind internet shutdowns: PTA chief Maj Gen (r) Hafeez Ur Rehman

The Chairman of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Major General (r) Hafeez ur Rehman, has said in a statement that successive governments repeatedly asked them to shut down the internet. 

The Senate's Standing Committee on Information Technology held a meeting with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s Chairman, Major General (r) Hafeez ur Rehman, where a clash between JUI-F Senator Ghulam Murtaza and the Chairman was witnessed by attendees. 

The meeting, held to review internet issues in the country, was presided over by PPP Senator Palwasha Khan. 

The Ministry of IT’s legal member and PTA Chairman briefed the committee about the causes and solutions of internet issues in the country. 

The PTA Chief told the committee that the authority receives more than 500 complaints daily about indecent content on social media platforms. Resultantly, PTA asks these social media platforms to block the reported content, which they do with 80 percent of such content. 

During the meeting, a member of the committee, Senator Kamran Murtaza, asked the PTA chief, “Where is it written in its act that the PTA can close the internet in a specific area?”

A member of the legal team of IT ministry acquiesced that “PTA act does not specify any specific area.” 

However, the PTA chairman interjected to say, “It is written in the rules that the Ministry of Interior can direct PTA to block of internet services.”

To this, Senator Kamran Murtaza asked that if t is not written in the law, then how can PTA block the internet. 

Chairman PTA replied, “If it is wrong then why is the government directing PTA to block internet services for the last 9 years,” while adding, “I can even quote date and time of all the times Internet was shut down on government’s direction.” 

“I can tell you the date and time when the internet was blocked during the last nine years on the orders of the governments," Chairman PTA told Senators. 

“We are not the government, we are the parliament,"  Senator Kamran Murtaza commented. 

To this Chairman, PTA said, “All of you have been in government one time or another.” 

Senator Humayun Mehmand participated in the conversation to state: “Even in the rules regarding the blocking of the internet, only content is mentioned.”

Special Secretary Ministry of IT told him that if the government decides to block online content in an area, then it is blocked by shutting down the internet in the area.

PTA Chairman here stated:  “Since 2016, whenever the Interior Ministry sends us an intimation, the internet is shut down.”

“This practice was going on before I joined the post of chairman. I have learned for the first time that shutting down the internet is illegal,” Chairman PTA exclaimed.

However, he mentioned that, “The final legal opinion in this regard can only be given by Ministry of Law and Interior Ministry.”

Hafeez ur Rehman told the committee that the social media apps were also blocked several times on orders of the Supreme Court and High Court. 

Senator Kamran Murtaza told IT Ministry members present in the meeting that if the internet is blocked on the Supreme Court's decision, then the IT Ministry should file a review petition stating that it is against the rules.