ISLAMABAD: New social media rules approved last month will prevent Pakistani citizens from accessing a free and open Internet and shut the country’s digital economy off from the rest of the world, the Asia Internet Coalition, an industry body, has said in a letter to the Pakistani prime minister.
Last month, Pakistan’s government approved new rules for regulating cyberspace that rights groups have said could be used to stifle dissent and free speech.
Under the new regulations, social media companies would be obliged to help law enforcement agencies access data and to remove online content deemed unlawful. Companies that do not comply with the rules risk being blocked online.
The Asia Internet Coalition was (AIC) set up in 2011 by Google, Facebook, Yahoo and eBay to lobby for free and open access to the Internet and to promote e-commerce. It has since expanded its membership.
In a letter by AIC to Prime Minister Imran Khan, dated December 5 and seen by Arab News, web giants said: “We seek your assistance to ensure that your government makes critical changes to the Rules through a credible consultation process.”
“We would request for a credible consultation process where AIC members can provide substantive suggestions. AIC is not against regulation of social media, but we believe that the Rules must address crucial issues such as internationally recognized rights to individual expression and privacy.”
The AIC added: “The Rules, as currently notified and gazetted, would make it extremely difficult for AIC Members to make their platforms and services available to Pakistani users and businesses.”
The AIC said that during bilateral meetings with AIC and its member companies, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) had committed to share a draft copy of the rules, but the rules were then updated by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication on its website without due process.
“Industry stakeholders have therefore lost trust in the consultation process, because it is neither credible nor transparent,” the AIC letter said.
The new rules on social media are described as intended to prevent live streaming of online content relating to “terrorism, extremism, hate speech, defamation, fake news, incitement to violence and national security.”
Social media companies would be obliged within 24 hours to respond to a request to remove “unlawful” material, or six hours in emergency cases. They would also have three months to register with authorities in Pakistan, and must have a physical presence in Pakistan.
When required, the companies would have to provide subscriber information, traffic data, content data and any other information or data that was sought, the regulations stipulate.
The rules also state that interpretations of the regulations by the authorities in Pakistan “shall take precedence over any community standards or rules or community guidelines or policies or any other instruments devised by a social media company.”
In its letter, the AIC said data localization requirements in the rules would prevent Pakistani citizens from accessing a free and open Internet and shut Pakistan’s digital economy off from the rest of the world. It also said the new regulations had expanded PTA’s powers such that the regulator could force social media companies to violate established human rights norms on privacy and freedom of expression.
In terms of takedown requests, social media companies said they needed a reasonable period of time to assess a request once all the required information has been provided by the requesting individual.
“We propose that requests should be responded to within a reasonable timeframe, or without undue delay,” AIC said.
The body also said instead of forcing companies to open local offices, Pakistan should “encourage and facilitate foreign investment through incentives, creating an enabling environment and growing the base of Internet-connected consumers.”
AIC said the effectiveness with which social media companies moderated online content did not depend on having local presence but on having well-established processes and product-specific policies, clear local laws to guide the process, and properly informed and valid requests for takedowns.
“Mr. Prime Minister, we know that you share our vision of a dynamic digital economic ecosystem for Pakistan, where platforms such as those of our members continue to drive substantial economic growth,” the AIC said. “We now need your full and direct support in ensuring that Pakistan does not go down a highly counter-productive path that could derail the efforts that your government and the ICT industry have painstakingly invested in for many years.”
Internet big boys take aim at Pakistan’s new social media rules
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Internet big boys take aim at Pakistan’s new social media rules
- Asia Internet Coalition writes letter to PM Khan, says new regulations will stifle free Internet and shut country’s digital economy off from rest of the world
- Urges PM to make changes to new rules which have made it “extremely difficult” for social media firms to continue their services in Pakistan
Pakistan Securities And Exchange Commission approves PIA restructuring
- Pakistan’s national airline has accumulated hundreds of billions of rupees in arrears and losses over the years
- Pakistan last year agreed to overhaul loss-making public entities in exchange for a financial bailout from IMF
KARACHI: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has approved the restructuring scheme of the country’s national airline, the privatization ministry confirmed on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in the government’s endeavors to privatize the loss-making entity.
Pakistan has identified 25 public sector enterprises for privatization that have accumulated billions in losses, including the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), banks, hotels and power generation and distribution companies. Pakistan agreed in June 2023 to overhaul its loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as part of a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $3 billion bailout package. The government resolved to privatize PIA shortly after finalizing the IMF agreement.
However, the country’s progress in privatization has been stalled for decades due to political inertia and various challenges, including legal, licensing and ownership issues. In March, the government created PIA Holding Company (Holdco) to expedite the national carrier’s privatization by managing the airline’s liabilities and assisting in its transfer to potential investors.
On May 4, the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) green-lighted PIA’s acquisition by Holdco, saying it would not have any material impact on the market. On Sunday, the privatization ministry said the SECP had agreed to the transfer of PIA’s non-core assets and liabilities to Holdco.
“This order marks a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts of the Privatization Commission (PC), Finance Division, Aviation Ministry and Pakistan International Airlines to restructure the national carrier,” the ministry said.
It said the SECP has directed the Pakistan Stock Exchange, the Central Depository Company and the National Clearing Company to ensure Holdco’s “smooth listing.”
The PIA has accumulated hundreds of billions of rupees in arrears and losses over the years, forcing successive Pakistani governments to dole out billions of rupees from their budgets to keep the loss-making public entity afloat.
The PIA’s woes were compounded after 2020 when the airline was already struggling financially while its flights were grounded due to the coronavirus pandemic. When the national airline resumed operations in May 2020, a domestic PIA flight crash in Karachi killed 97 out of 99 people on board, prompting an initial inquiry that pointed to a number of safety failures.
The inquiry sparked a disclosure from authorities that nearly a third of PIA’s pilots may have falsified their qualifications, prompting the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other regulators to ban PIA flights.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to privatize the airline and warned Pakistan’s bureaucracy that he would not tolerate delays in the process. Sharif has assured Pakistan’s business community several times that the process to privatize the national airline would be a transparent one.
Pakistan thrash South Korea 4-0 in Azlan Shah Cup hockey clash
- Pakistani players Abdul Hanan Shahid, Arshad Liaqat, Ghazanfar Ali and Sufiyan Khan score goals
- This is Pakistan’s second victory in the tournament after their win over hosts Malaysia on Saturday
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s field hockey team beat South Korea 4-0 in their second match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup this week, state-media reported on Monday, as the South Asian side continued their impressive run in the tournament.
The 30th edition of the prestigious field hockey tournament is being played in Ipoh, Malaysia from 4-11 May. The cup will be contested between six teams, namely Canada, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Korea. Pakistan’s national hockey team made a triumphant start to the tournament on Saturday, defeating hosts Malaysia by 5-4 in a thrilling match.
The green shirts continued their impressive form on Sunday, beating South Korea in what was a one-sided contest.
“Pakistan in their second match beat South Korea by four goals to nil at Ipoh on Sunday,” the state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Monday.
Pakistani players Abdul Hanan Shahid, Arshad Liaqat, Ghazanfar Ali and Sufiyan Khan scored goals to ensure the national team dominated the match. Pakistan’s defense did an impressive job to contain the Korean hockey team, thwarting their efforts to score a single goal.
“Pakistan will play their third match against Japan in Ipoh, Malaysia tomorrow,” Radio Pakistan reported. “The match will start at 3:15 p.m.”
The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 will see a round-robin stage at first where all six participating teams will play against each other once, followed by positional playoffs.
The teams finishing in the bottom two places of the league stage will contest in a fifth-place classification match. Teams finishing in third and fourth place in the pool stage will compete for bronze, while the top two teams will play in the final for the title.
Pakistani journalists condemn Israel’s decision to ban Al Jazeera, demand ‘earliest restoration’
- PM Netanyahu’s cabinet shut down network for as long as Gaza war continues, saying it threatened national security
- Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists credits Al Jazeera for reporting “independently” on Israel’s war in Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s most prominent association of journalists strongly condemned Israel’s move to ban international news organization Al Jazeera on Sunday, describing it as a “brutal curb on press freedom,” urging journalist bodies around the world to raise their voices for the Qatar-based network.
The statement comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted unanimously to close Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel. The decision came weeks after Israel’s parliament passed a law allowing the temporary closure of foreign broadcasters considered to be a threat to its national security as the months-long war in Gaza drags on.
Later on Sunday, Israeli police raided Al Jazeera’s premises in East Jerusalem while satellite and cable providers took the broadcaster off air.
“Workers strongly condemn the Israeli decision of banning telecast of Al Jazeera TV and demand its earliest restoration,” the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) said in a press release. “The PFUJ-Workers terms the decision a brutal curb on press freedom and demand that Israeli govt should give right to every media organization to work freely.”
PFUJ credited Al Jazeera for reporting “independently” on Israel’s war in Gaza, calling on journalist bodies around the world to raise their voices for freedom of media and support the Doha-based news channel.
“If we do not discharge our duty of raising voice for Al Jazeera the other will use the practice to silent voices in their regions,” the statement concluded.
Al Jazeera criticized Israel’s decision to ban its broadcast in a report, saying that it is one of the few international media outlets to remain in Gaza throughout the war, broadcasting “bloody scenes of air attacks and overcrowded hospitals, and accusing Israel of massacres.”
“The Network vehemently rejects the allegations presented by Israeli authorities suggesting professional media standards have been violated,” Al Jazeera said in a statement. “It reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the values embodied by its Code of Ethics.”
Israel’s move can heighten the Jewish state’s tensions with Qatar, which funds Al Jazeera, especially at a time when the Gulf country is playing a key role in mediating efforts to stop the war in Gaza.
Tim Dawson, the deputy general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, told Al Jazeera Israel’s decision was a “retrograde and ridiculous decision.”
“Closing down media, closing down television stations is a sort of thing that despots do,” he said.
Two-day Pakistan-Saudi investment conference kicks off in Islamabad today
- 50-member Saudi delegation comprising 30 Saudi companies arrived in Islamabad on Sunday
- Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been working closely in recent weeks on finalizing investment deals
ISLAMABAD: A two-day Pakistan-Saudi investment conference is set to begin in Islamabad today, Monday, a day after a high-powered business delegation arrived in Pakistan from Riyadh to discuss trade and investments.
The 50-member Saudi delegation is led by Assistant Minister of Investment Ibrahim Al-Mubarak and comprises some 30 Saudi companies from the fields of information technology, telecoms, energy, aviation, construction, mining exploration, agriculture and human resource development.
“[Pakistani commerce] ministry had selected a large number of Pakistani companies in the respective sectors whose officials would have business-to-business meetings with their Saudi counterparts, and would hopefully enter into business and investment deals,” Pakistani news wire APP said.
“Pakistan would welcome and fully facilitate investments and partnerships from Saudi Arabia in IT, minerals, textiles, food security, engineering and energy sectors.”
During the first half of the current financial year, bilateral trade between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was recorded at $2.482 billion, with Pakistan’s exports of $262.58 million and Saudi exports of $2.219 billion.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been closely working in recent weeks to increase bilateral trade and investment deals, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also reaffirming the Kingdom’s commitment to expedite an investment package of $5 billion.
The business delegation’s visit comes on the heels of one by Sharif to Riyadh from Apr. 27-30 to attend a special two-day meeting of the World Economic Forum.
On the sidelines of the WEF conference, the Pakistani PM met and discussed bilateral investment and economic partnerships with the crown prince and the Saudi ministers of finance, industries, investment, energy, climate, and economy and planning, the adviser of the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council and the presidents of the Saudi central bank and Islamic Development Bank.
This was Sharif’s second meeting with the crown prince in a month. Before that he also met him when he traveled to the Kingdom on April 6-8. The Saudi foreign minister was also in Pakistan last month, during which Pakistan pitched projects worth at least $20 billion to Riyadh.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as a top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Saudi Arabia has often come to Pakistan’s aid in the past, regularly providing it oil on deferred payments and offering direct financial support to help stabilize its economy and shore up forex reserves.
As things stand, Pakistan desperately needs to shore up its foreign reserves and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new bailout deal, for which it needs to signal that it can continue to meet requirements for foreign financing which has been a key demand in previous loan packages.
Last year Pakistan set up the Special Investment Facilitation Council, a body consisting of Pakistani civilian and military leaders and specially tasked to promote investment in Pakistan. The council is so far focusing on investments in the energy, agriculture, mining, information technology and aviation sectors and specifically targeting Gulf nations.
Pakistan farmers announce nationwide protest from May 10 amid wheat import crisis
- Farmers are demanding the government stop wheat imports that have flooded markets, leading to price slump
- Agriculture contributes about 24 percent of the GDP and accounts for half of the employed labor force in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani farmers on Sunday announced a nationwide protest over the wheat import crisis from May 10, a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised to address their grievances.
Farmers in Pakistan’s Punjab province, which produces most of the wheat crop, are demanding the government stop wheat imports that have flooded the market at a time when they expect bumper crop.
They say the import of wheat in the second half of 2023 and the first three months of this year has resulted in excess amounts of the commodity in the country, leading to reduced prices.
On Saturday, PM Sharif took notice of the matter and formed a committee under the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to address farmer grievances, Pakistani state media reported.
“On the 10th [of May], after the Friday prayers, we are initiating protest from Multan and this protest will be expanded to the whole of Pakistan,” Khalid Khokhar, who heads the Kissan Ittehad Pakistan, said at a press conference.
“Thousands of farmers will come, there will be hundreds of tractors, trailers. Animals, cattle and children and women will also be accompanied.”
Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and constitutes its largest sector. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), agriculture contributes about 24 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for half of the employed labor force in the country.
However, the prices of wheat have dropped in Pakistan in recent weeks and are much below the government’s support price of Rs3,900 per 40-kilogram bag.
“We do not have any option other than this. The mafia made Rs100 billion, Pakistan’s $1 billion worth of foreign exchange was spent and the farmers incurred around Rs400 billion losses,” Khokhar said.
“They slaughtered 60 million farmers just for the sake of corruption.”
