Sharks can't eat submarine cables, PTA chairman clarifies

In a Senate committee briefing, he clarified that the issue was not caused by wildlife but rather technical factors.

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While addressing the recent internet disruptions and submarine cable outage, PTA Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman dismissed claims that sharks were responsible, clarifying that sharks cannot damage the cables.

In a Senate committee briefing on Wednesday, January 1, Rehman dismissed claims that sharks were responsible for the severing of submarine cables, stating that such an event was highly unlikely as sharks cannot damage submarine cables.

He clarified that the issue was not caused by wildlife but rather technical factors.

The briefing, led by Senator Palwasha Khan in the Senate’s Standing Committee on Information and Technology, focused on Pakistan's internet connectivity and its regulation.

Rehman confirmed that Pakistan currently relies on seven submarine cables for internet services and highlighted that an additional "2 Africa" submarine cable will soon be activated, expected to improve internet quality in the country.

On the topic of social media regulations, the PTA Chairman shared that the authority receives approximately 500 complaints daily about content on social media platforms. As a result, the PTA requests these platforms to remove content that violates local regulations.

Rehman stated that approximately 80% of flagged content is removed, while around 20% remains accessible.

A major point of discussion during the meeting was the authority’s power to block internet access in certain areas. Senator Kamran Murtaza questioned the legal basis for such actions, asking for clarification on where in the law it permits the government to restrict internet access in specific regions.

In response, an official from the Ministry of Information Technology (IT) explained that there is no direct mention of regional internet shutdowns in the law, but the Ministry of Interior has the authority to direct the PTA to take such actions when necessary.

Rehman further elaborated that, according to the rules, the Ministry of Interior has the discretion to instruct the PTA to block internet or social media services, which has been a common practice in Pakistan since 2016.

The PTA chairman also questioned the legality of these actions, highlighting that such measures have been in place for nearly a decade, with government orders dictating internet shutdowns.

He also noted that internet restrictions had been enforced on multiple occasions at the behest of both the Supreme Court and High Court, particularly when directed by legal authorities.

The PTA Chairman concluded by stating that if the government orders internet shutdowns to remove specific online content, it could be done legally by limiting internet access in targeted areas.