Pakistan continues to rank at the top globally in searches related to immoral content, despite no longer leading in actual viewership, Director General of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Dr Muqarram Ali said while addressing a cybersecurity seminar at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
He said that following PTA’s actions, including large-scale blocking of indecent websites, a clear impact has been observed, and Pakistan is no longer at the top in terms of viewing such content.
He added that Pakistan had earlier ranked highest in viewership, but sustained enforcement measures have moved the country down from that position.
Speaking at the event, Dr Muqarram Ali said the PTA is actively working on online child protection and has blocked around 1.3 million indecent websites. He stated that the authority only blocks immoral and unethical material and does not act proactively to shut down websites on its own.
He further said that the PTA often receives contradictory court orders, with one court directing the blocking of a platform while another ordering that it should not be blocked. He added that the authority is bound to follow the prescribed legal and administrative system in such cases.
Referring to the temporary blocking of Wikipedia, the PTA chief said the move triggered an international reaction, after which an inter-ministerial committee was formed to review the issue. He said that the PTA blocks websites strictly on government directives, noting that similar instructions were also issued during previous governments.
Highlighting cyber security developments, Dr Muqarram Ali said Pakistan has emerged among the top countries in cyber security preparedness.
He claimed that during the Pak-India conflict in May, Pakistan won the cyber war and that not a single Pakistani website was taken offline. He also clarified that the PTA does not collect mobile taxes, stating that this responsibility lies with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
