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By Malik Shahzad Aslam :

During a recent cybersecurity seminar at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Dr. Muqarram Ali, Director General of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), offered updates on the country’s digital landscape, highlighting both regulatory successes and administrative challenges.

Dr. Ali noted that while Pakistan no longer holds the top position globally for actual viewership of indecent content, it continues to rank highest worldwide for related searches. He attributed the drop in viewership ranking to sustained enforcement efforts by the PTA, which included the large-scale blocking of immoral and unethical websites. The authority reports having blocked approximately 1.3 million indecent websites as part of its commitment to online child protection, emphasizing that the PTA only blocks material based on defined ethical standards and does not proactively shut down websites without cause.

The Director General pointed out significant administrative difficulties, particularly facing contradictory court directives where one judicial order may mandate the blocking of a platform while another concurrently orders it to remain accessible. Dr. Ali affirmed that the PTA is legally bound to comply with the established legal and administrative framework in all such instances.

Referring to the high-profile temporary blocking of Wikipedia, Dr. Ali disclosed that the decision triggered substantial international backlash. Consequently, an inter-ministerial committee was established to conduct a review of the matter. He stressed that the PTA acts strictly on explicit government directives when blocking websites, noting that such instructions were consistently issued across various previous administrations as well.

In the domain of national security, Dr. Ali highlighted Pakistan’s improved standing in cybersecurity preparedness, asserting that the country now ranks among the top global nations. He claimed a victory in the “cyber war” during the Pak-India conflict in May, emphasizing that Pakistan’s digital infrastructure remained resilient, with not a single Pakistani website being successfully taken offline.

Finally, he clarified the PTA’s financial roles, stating definitively that the authority is not responsible for collecting mobile taxes; that duty falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).