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ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology on Thursday was informed that reports about the shutdown of the so-called internet firewall ahead of the 5G spectrum auction were incorrect.
At the outset of the meeting, Syed Aminul Haque, the committee chairman, noted that there were reports regarding the firewall.
Meanwhile, Sadiq Memon called for a briefing on the system and its utility for the nation. He also enquired about the difference between an internet firewall and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s Web Monitoring System (WMS).
IT Secretary Zarar Hashim Khan denied that any such system had been dismantled.
PTA says Web Monitoring System doesn’t affect speed
“The PTA’s WMS is fully operational,” Mr Khan said, adding that neither a firewall nor the WMS had caused any delay in internet services.
After the initial briefing by the IT secretary, the floor was given to PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman, who clarified that the term firewall was a colloquial reference to the WMS, adding that it had been in place in Pakistan since 2006.
“This system has been upgraded four times, with the most recent upgrade carried out in 2023,” he said. The PTA chairman said that, like firewalls, the WMS was meant to provide security for digital connectivity in the country.
He informed the committee that the WMS was installed to eradicate grey traffic in telephony and to block social media platforms and illegal websites within the country’s jurisdiction.
“Our digital borders must also be protected,” the PTA chairman said, adding that cyberattacks originating from India were thwarted during periods of heightened tension between the two countries.
Mr Rehman further informed the panel that social media platforms had been blocked seven times so far on orders from either the government or the courts.
“But this does not mean that internet speeds experience a slowdown or that anything else happens due to the WMS,” he added.
Meanwhile, a senior official of the IT ministry told Dawn that the WMS was not designed to block any particular social media account and referred to the X account of PTI founder Imran Khan, highlighting that it continued to operate while the former premier was in prison.
“If the WMS could stop individual accounts, why did the government wait so long and finally approach the X management to block this account?” the official asked.
Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2026
