“Internet Closure” Rumors Refuted by PTA

The former Prime Minister Imran Khan had invited all the Pakistanis to Islamabad for a protest against the new government on May 25th. The new government has taken many different precautionary measures to prevent and avoid any undesirable events and happenings. Since morning, we have heard different news which with passing hours have been refuted by the different concerned authorities. Among the news was the rumor of “Internet Closure” in the whole country.

Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) has refuted the “Internet Closure” rumor as there is no such decision planned by the authorities. These news were wrongly reported by a some media outlets.

The Transworld company which is internet provider, had a slight degradation issue in their internet. The issue has been corrected and the internet traffic is back to normal.

According to the letter issued by PTA to all the Telecom Licensees, they are directed to provide their complete services during the protest. They are further advised to be more efficient during the ongoing protests and give smooth telecom services.

All the Telecom Licensees are directed by PTA to take all the necessary precautionary measures/ contingency plans for the provision of telecom services in the whole country including Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB). Following are some of the guidelines for developing the mechanism for emergency preparedness/ response given by PTA :

1. Necessary resources should remain available at all levels for smooth functioning of voice/ data services and networks
2. Any major communications breakdown shall immediately be reported to PTA HQs and its concerned zonal/ reginal offices in jurisdiction of which the breakdown occurs.
3. All cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) and Local Loop operators should ensure that customers have access to their services (top ups, scratch cards, provision of SIMs etc.)
4. Coordinate wit local authorities for functioning of franchises, top up outlets and communication networks in affected area.

PTA has requested the Federal/ Provisional Government Authorities to ensure the free and unrestricted movement of the Telecom Operators’ staff across the country and to facilitate functioning of all communication services.

Being a Pakistani it is our duty towards our country that we act as responsible citizen and cringe from sharing baseless rumors.

Also Read: Prime Minister Imran Khan Followers Reach at 14-Million On Twitter