A parliamentary panel on Tuesday recommended for giving rights to Special Communication Organization (SCO) for launching 3G/4G services in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) as per the law. SCO has updated the system by installing all the required equipments and provided free of cost 3G/4G services in AJ&K and GB for one month, said SCO representatives while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, which met with acting chairman Syed Ali Raza Abidi.
The representative from SCO briefed the Committee about the establishment, functioning, achievements and future plans of the organization. They also showed their grievances with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.
The SCO officials told the committee that now Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been appointed as agent in the area for holding spectrum auction. The SCO may be given rights as per the law, said the official adding that without amendments in the law, contracts should not to be given. As per the law the PTA could not do it. Chairman PTA Ismail Shah said if there were objections, the matter could be taken with the federal government.
Secretary IT said the matter is in their knowledge and as well as in the Prime Minister and a meeting was scheduled to be held in this regard today (Tuesday). The SCO maintained that it has exclusive rights to operate in AJ&K and GB. The committee recommended that SCO may be given rights as per the constitution. The Committee appreciated the performance of SCO and directed the Ministry that SCO may be treated equally as per other private national or international organizations. Further, the Committee directed that in next meeting of the Committee SCO may be taken on Agenda.
The Chairman PTA briefed the Committee about the actions taken by PTA against the blasphemous material on social media. When the Committee called the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) about their actions against the blasphemous material on social media; nobody was present in the meeting to respond.
The Committee showed its displeasure on the FIA for not attending the meeting and directed that FIA must be attended the next meeting and brief the Committee about the Blasphemous material on social media.
The Chairman PTA Ismail Shah said that 17566 complaints have been received since 2012, where 188 were containing blasphemous materials.
The committee observed that judiciary and army were being attacked. There is a national security challenges from internal and external. PTA can only block accounts or websites containing objectionable materials, said the PTA chairman.
The government has constituted a joint committee comprising the PTA and FIA to monitor objectionable materials on internet, said the Chairman PTA. He further said to increase coordination, the committee is likely to be joined by the Interior Ministry as well and the government may issue notification anytime in this regard.
There was sacrilegious content uploaded on social media which was taken up through a writ petition No 739/2017 filed before the Islamabad High Court, Islamabad.
Islamabad High Court heard the petitioner and disposed of with direction to PTA for evolving a mechanism to eliminate blasphemous material on social media and ensure that scientific mechanism is evolved to bring awareness about blasphemy and pornography. A similar writ petition was filed in Lahore High Court (Multan Bench) which was also disposed of by the court with directions that concrete steps to be taken by PTA for removal of b1asphemous material for social media platforms.
The PTA has uploaded detailed guidelines on its website for education and awareness of Internet users. The guidelines include website links of all major social media platforms where upon any person can lodge his/her complaint directly to the social media administration regarding unlawful online content.
The PTA has also requested HEC, MoIT and FIA to upload these guidelines on their respective websites for education of general public. The PTA has requested all concerned stakeholders to report the objectionable contents to the relevant platforms directly. This will save time and also increase concern before the social media. However, in case there is no response, a complaint to PTA through e-portal may be made.
The MoIT in consultation with PTA has drafted Rules namely "Removal or Blocking of unlawful online content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards), Rules, 2017, under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. The said Rules are in process of approval of the Cabinet.
As part of PTA's efforts for removing/blocking websites/URLs containing blasphemous material, Facebook vice president, Joel Kaplan called upon the then Interior Minister, Nisar Ali Khan and the Chairman PTA. Kaplan was not only made realized about the misuse of social media platforms to propagate blasphemous contents but grave concern of government of Pakistan was also conveyed to him. As result of the said meeting, PTA's request for blocking of unlawful online content made to Facebook administration are being entertained positively and promptly.
Blasphemous material being uploaded on internet is in different forms ie literature, pictures, audio, video etc. Therefore identification of blasphemous material without human intervention is not possible therefore PTA has deployed a team of 25 IT personnel for this purpose and so far PTA has blocked around 13,210 blasphemous links. Given the fact that a huge amount of content is being produced every minute and is uploaded on the internet, it is almost impossible to restrict and block any one or more of the content categories completely.
In addition, PTA has developed an electronic portal to facilitate stakeholders to register complaints relating to any objectionable web content. An email address [email protected] is also advertised in the media facilitating general public to inform PTA about any blasphemous content. In this regard around 8000 complaints have been received so far, which were disposed of accordingly.
As a part of public awareness campaign, a short message was broadcasted to all mobile subscribers for awareness about uploading/spreading of blasphemous material on internet and its repercussions under the law.
The Committee took up the TIP employee's issues and directed that TIP employee's issue will also be taken on next meeting agenda. Further, the Committee directed Chairman, PTA to launch public awareness through media that who we could get raid of from the curse of "Blue Whale Game".
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