Officials from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) have admitted their inability to block Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
This revelation came during a meeting of the Senate Committee on Information Technology, which was chaired by Senator Palwasha Mohammadzai Khan in Islamabad on Thursday.
They also noted that some services in Pakistan are only accessible through VPNs, making it challenging for the PTA to block all VPNs without adversely affecting businesses. Blocking VPNs entirely would disrupt operations for companies that rely on these networks for secure communication and access to essential services.
Read More: PTA to block thousands of SIMs in October
During the briefing, Pakistan Software Export Board officials highlighted that Pakistan’s contribution to the global IT market is currently less than 0.04%. However, the country managed to achieve a 20% growth in its IT sector last year.
The majority of IT exports from Pakistan are directed towards the USA, accounting for 54%, followed by Europe with 21%, and Gulf countries at 10%.
Morever, the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) announced the launch of the iRozgar programme, which is aimed at generating job opportunities and is being implemented at a cost of one billion rupees.
During the meeting, PTA’s Enforcement Member also reported on the disruptions to internet traffic that were caused by a cut in the SMW4 optical fiber cable near Karachi on June 18, 2024.
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