The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology sharply criticized officials in the IT sector on Thursday after it was revealed that internet outages were costing the industry Rs1.3 billion per day. The committee, chaired by Palwasha Khan, was briefed by key figures, including Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja and PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman.

The committee raised concerns about the slowdown in internet speed across Pakistan, with Senator Afnanullah Khan suggesting that the government’s installation of firewalls might be a cause. However, the PTA Chairman denied any official policy leading to slower internet speeds, pointing out that any actions affecting speed should be directed by the government.

IT Ministry officials explained that internet services were sometimes shut down for national security reasons, but the committee questioned why this issue seemed to be exclusive to Pakistan and not to neighboring India. Senator Kamran Murtaza highlighted the recurring internet disruptions, while the chairperson expressed confusion over why the IT Ministry was not held accountable for its actions, given that the Interior Ministry seemed to take responsibility.

The committee also heard from Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) Chairman Sajjad Syed, who confirmed that the country’s IT industry was losing Rs1.3 billion daily due to internet shutdowns. Discussions also touched on the registration of VPNs, with the PTA Chairman stating that VPN registration would begin in the new year. However, committee members expressed concerns about how the licensing process might impact internet speed.

Minister Khawaja emphasized the lack of investment in the IT sector over the past three years and announced that the 5G spectrum auction would take place in April, with fibre optic cables being connected to China. Despite challenges, she assured that the IT sector’s budget had not been cut, highlighting its priority for the government.