Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Hafeezur Rehman stated that the ban on X (formerly Twitter) will be lifted when the government requests it. The platform has been suspended in Pakistan since February 17 due to national security concerns. The PTA chairman made this statement during a Senate committee meeting, adding that only 7% of complaints forwarded to X in the last three months have been addressed.
Rehman also mentioned that the PTA is whitelisting VPNs, allowing only selected VPNs to operate in Pakistan. He noted that VPN usage has decreased by 70% despite availability. The chairman emphasized that the PTA only blocks social media platforms at the government’s request and reaches out to platforms regarding complaints that violate Pakistani law.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar discussed negotiations with international social media platforms regarding taxation on income from international ads. Tarar also mentioned that social media platforms are considering opening virtual offices in Pakistan due to security concerns.
The meeting also touched on local mobile phone manufacturing, with 37 companies producing 20 million phones annually, 40% of which are smartphones. Rehman highlighted Pakistan’s 34.50% tax on telecom customers and noted that there have been no cyber attacks on telecom in two years.
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