Islamabad: Member of the National Assembly, Sharmila Faruqi, expressed frustration during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Information Technology, chaired by Amin ul Haque. Faruqi criticized Minister of State for IT, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, over her responses regarding internet disruptions, questioning the government’s handling of the issue.
“I am extremely disappointed. Four meetings have been held, yet no solution has been found. Are we lying, or is the government lying?” Faruqi asked. She highlighted that P@SHA (Pakistan Software Houses Association) provided data on losses incurred due to internet outages.
Sharing her personal concerns, Faruqi said, “My husband runs an e-commerce company and has suffered losses. Are we all fools to leave our work and attend these committee meetings, only to be told that everything is fine?”
Faruqi also criticized the frequent internet shutdowns during political protests, stating, “Whenever there is a protest call from PTI, the internet gets shut down. Are we being taken for granted?”
In response, Minister of State Shaza Fatima Khawaja assured the committee that the internet issues were temporary and had been resolved. She mentioned ongoing discussions with Starlink to introduce satellite internet in Pakistan.
She further emphasized, “Pakistan has achieved exports worth PKR 1.5 billion in the past month. If the internet was down, where did this money come from?”
The meeting concluded with calls for improved IT infrastructure and accountability to address the recurring disruptions affecting businesses and citizens alike.
