Pakistan Telecom Chief Clarifies Internet Slowdown Cause

Pakistan's internet slowdown blamed on faulty submarine cable, not government firewalls. PTA chief clarifies during National Assembly meeting, facing tough questions. Clarifications include ongoing upgrades, non-blocking of VPNs, and economic impact. Social media ban query goes unanswered.

Pakistan's telecom watchdog head clarified the cause of the recent nationwide internet slowdown, attributing the disruptions to a faulty submarine cable. This explanation dismissed earlier claims suggesting government-installed firewalls were responsible, said Maj Gen (Ret) Hafeezur Rehman, chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The issue surfaced during a session of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on IT, where Rehman faced intense scrutiny. He specified that the internet disruption was expected to be resolved by August 28 and emphasized that the government's ongoing web management upgrades should not impact internet speed.

Notably, Rehman refuted allegations from various quarters, including the business community and opposition PTI party, about firewall-induced slowdowns. He addressed concerns about blocked VPNs and a prolonged ban on social media platform X, though he offered no new details on the latter.

(With inputs from agencies.)