ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has developed a regulatory framework for over-the-top (OTT) services, including social media, digital streaming platforms and popular messaging apps, with the aim to exert greater control after eliciting feedback from stakeholders and finalizing it.
The PTA has posted a 14-page document containing all the provisions along with a list of questions for feedback.
The framework specifies three different kinds of OTT services, dealing with communication (such as Skype, WhatsApp and Facebook Messengers), application (like LinkedIn and X) and media (including YouTube, Netflix and Spotify).
It mentions the OTT authorization that these services will have to obtain from the PTA to maintain legal operations in the country.
“This OTT Authorization shall be valid for a period of fifteen (15) years,” it says. “The Licensed OTT Service Provider shall be required to enter into agreement with the TSPs [telecom service providers] licensees.”
It also mentions data localization, saying these services will not be able to store the personal data of local consumers beyond the country’s geographical territories without the PTA’s approval.
Additionally, it highlights the responsibility for the blocking of unlawful online content in accordance with “Section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and/or as determined by the Authority from time to time.”
The PTA has taken actions against platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Facebook in the past, citing reasons related to immoral, indecent and blasphemous content and even blocking these services.
This has also been criticized by free speech activists in the country that described such official decisions as a form of censorship and to stifle free expression and open access to information.
The final deadline for stakeholders to share their feedback with the telecom authority in July 10.
Pakistan telecom authority proposes framework to tighten control on social media, digital platforms
https://arab.news/r6buk
Pakistan telecom authority proposes framework to tighten control on social media, digital platforms
- PTA wants the OTT services to seek a 15-year authorization to maintain legal operations in the country
- It also wants them not to store the personal data of local consumers beyond Pakistan’s territory
Ex-PM Khan demands election commissioner’s resignation after landmark Supreme Court verdict
- Court says ECP misconstrued election symbol judgment and forced PTI candidates to contest Feb. 8 polls independently
- Imran Khan calls for treason charges against people who ‘disenfranchised millions’ of his party voters and supporters
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday demanded Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and his top team to resign, following a Supreme Court decision criticizing them for misconstruing one of its verdicts and forcing candidates of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to contest the Feb. 8 polls independently.
The apex court upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to strip the PTI of its electoral symbol, the cricket bat, for holding intra-party elections that were deemed to be flawed and not in keeping with its constitution.
Subsequently, the ECP rejected the nomination papers of PTI candidates, who were listed as independents with individual electoral symbols.
The court decision that came just weeks before the general elections significantly impacted PTI’s ability to present a united front and contest the national polls with full preparation.
“I have repeatedly raised concerns about the prejudice exhibited by the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan against me and PTI,” Khan said in a social media post. “Today’s Supreme Court decision – establishing the ECP’s bias and malafide against PTI – reinforces our stance.”
“We demand criminal proceedings under Article 6 of the Constitution [that deals with treason] against all those responsible for disenfranchising millions of voters and supporters of Pakistan’s largest political party,” he continued. “Sikandar Sultan Raja and the ECP members must resign immediately!”
The former PM, who remains incarcerated on a number of charges since his arrest last August, reiterated that he wanted Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa to distance himself from all the cases involving him or his party.
The Supreme Court delivered a landmark 8-5 verdict, saying the PTI party was eligible for these seats in parliament.
The short order made it clear the denial of the election symbol did not affect in any way PTI’s right to be a political party or participate in elections.
Reading portion of a minority verdict, Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa noted the ECP had ‘misinterpreted’ the court’s earlier verdict related to PTI’s election emblem.
“The ECP by misinterpreting the judgment of this Court dated 13 January 2024, which was regarding non-holding [of] intra-party elections in PTI, wrongly mentioned the said candidates of the PTI as independents in Form 33 of the Election Rules,” he said. “The ECP had no authority to declare validly nominated candidates of a political party to be independent candidates.”
The PTI is currently entitled to around 23 reserved seats in the National Assembly, which does not affect the parliamentary majority of the Sharif-led coalition administration.
Political parties are allocated a total number of 70 reserved seats, including 60 for women and 10 for non-Muslims, in proportion to the number of seats won in general elections. This completes the National Assembly’s total 336 seats.
A simple majority in Pakistan’s parliament is 169 out of 336 seats.
Pakistani Taliban deny plans to attack public places during Muharram amid security alerts
- Spokesperson Mohammad Khorsani says striking public places neither permissible nor aligned with TTP’s objectives
- The TTP claimed responsibility for several deadly attacks in the past, including the massacre of 134 school children
ISLAMABAD: A proscribed militant network, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), on Friday responded to recent security alerts issued by state agencies about its plans to launch attacks during Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, saying that targeting public places was neither permissible nor aligned with its objectives.
The TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan since its formation in 2007, including the massacre of 134 children in a school attack.
Pakistan has accused the interim Taliban administration in Kabul of providing sanctuary to TTP leaders and facilitating their attacks. Although the two groups are not directly affiliated, the Pakistani Taliban owe allegiance to their Afghan counterparts.
Pakistan has historically experienced sectarian violence during Muharram, a significant month for Shia Muslims who observe mourning rituals to commemorate the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) grandson in the Battle of Karbala.
“We consider it necessary to clarify that not only during Muharram but at any time, we do not consider it permissible to attack public places nor is it among our goals,” TTP Spokesperson Mohammad Khorasani said in a statement on Friday.
“Such fake threats and statements attributed to us have nothing to do with us,” he added, referring to the security alerts circulated by Pakistani law enforcement agencies.
Khorasani blamed the state for spreading fear among people by saying the TTP wanted to launch attack in Muharram.
“Our objectives are clear and pre-announced, which do not include targeting any group, sect or individual based on religious and intellectual differences,” he added.
Since 2007, Pakistan has conducted multiple military operations against the TTP, yet the militant network continues its attacks, primarily targeting the two western provinces bordering Afghanistan.
These attacks have surged since November 2022, following the collapse of a fragile truce brokered by the Afghan Taliban between Islamabad and the TTP.
Pakistan flour millers’ strike over withholding tax enters second day, threatening shortages
- Budget for fiscal year 2024-25 imposed 5.5% withholding tax on sales of flour mills
- Around 1,600 flour mills employing some 4,000 workers are shut across Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: A strike by Pakistani flour millers due to a dispute with the government over the imposition of new taxes on sales entered its second day on Friday, threatening flour shortages in parts of the South Asian country.
Hundreds of mills across Pakistan went on strike on Thursday on a call by the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), which represents over 900 mills, against a new 5.5 percent withholding tax imposed on the sales of flour mills in the federal budget for fiscal year 2024-25, which came into effect on July 1.
The PFMA says the government has also directed flour mills to collect another 2.5 percent withholding tax on the sale of essential commodities to retailers (non-filers) and 2 percent from wholesalers (non-filers). The association says millers also now have to collect 0.5 percent withholding tax on the sale of flour from retailers (filers) and 0.10 percent tax from wholesalers (filers).
“We are observing a nationwide strike against the government for imposing taxes and making flour millers tax collection agents,” Javed Yusuf, a former PFMA chairperson, told Arab News.
“Our strike will continue till the government accepts our demand of withdrawal of all taxes levied in the budget.”
Yusuf said around 1,600 flour mills, which directly employed some 4,000 workers, were shut across Pakistan:
“We cannot collect taxes on behalf of the FBR, it’s not our job,” he added.
The strike takes place as Pakistan navigates a tricky path to economic recovery amid double-digit inflation and a deepening macroeconomic crisis. The South Asian country has been scrambling to secure foreign investment from friendly nations and a bailout from the IMF in a bid to keep its fragile $350 billion economy afloat.
The tax-laden budget with a tax revenue target of Rs13 trillion ($46.66 billion) for the current fiscal year, up about 40 percent from the previous one, has been rejected by almost all major trade bodies and opposition parties. Pakistan’s government has taken the unpopular measures amid negotiations with the IMF, which has made tax reforms and increasing revenue a major precondition for a fresh loan program.
There are 1,725 flour mills in Pakistan and the daily national flour consumption stands at around 45,000 tons, according to the PFMA.
The ongoing strike has already halted flour supply to grocery stores across Punjab, the country’s most populous province, and market stocks are expected to last only one week.
Pakistan says ‘deeply values’ cooperation with Afghanistan as ties sour over deportations, militancy
Pakistan says ‘deeply values’ cooperation with Afghanistan as ties sour over deportations, militancy
- Pakistan says Kabul not doing enough to tackle militant groups using Afghan territory to target Pakistan, which it denies
- Over 600,000 Afghans expelled since November last year when Islamabad launched deportation drive against illegal foreigners
PESHAWAR: Pakistani Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Amir Muqam, discussed bilateral ties with Afghan’s Charge d’Affaires, Sardar Ahmed Khan Shakib, on Friday, saying that his country “deeply valued” its cooperation with Afghanistan in addressing the issue of refugees.
Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have soured in recent months amid a surge in militant attacks that Pakistan blames on Afghanistan, saying its Taliban rulers were not doing enough to tackle militant groups using its territory to target Pakistan, which they deny.
The Pakistani Taliban have stepped up attacks against Pakistan security forces in recent months, with daily assaults on army and paramilitary posts and targeted killings of police and government officials.
“Pakistan deeply values its longstanding friendship and cooperation with Afghanistan,” Muqam was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office after his meeting with Shakib in Islamabad.
The Pakistani minister said the people of the two countries had made immense sacrifices, adding that restoring peace was essential for their well-being.
“We encourage Afghanistan to focus on ensuring the welfare and integration of its citizens residing in Pakistan, with an emphasis on their return as a long-term solution,” he said.
The Afghan diplomat thanked Pakistan for extending the deadline of UNHCR-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards for almost 1.5 million Afghan refugees for one year.
Islamabad launched a deportation drive last year against illegal foreigners residing in the country after a spate of suicide bombings which the Pakistan government, without providing evidence, said were carried out by Afghan nationals. Islamabad has also blamed them for smuggling, militant violence and other crimes.
A cash-strapped Pakistan navigating record inflation, alongside a tough International Monetary Fund bailout program last year, had also said undocumented migrants had drained its resources for decades.
Until the government initiated the expulsion drive last year, Pakistan was home to over four million Afghan migrants and refugees out of which around 1.7 million were undocumented, as per government figures.
Afghans make up the largest portion of migrants, many of whom came after the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021, but a large number have been present since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Islamabad insists the deportation drive is not aimed specifically at Afghans but at all those living illegally in Pakistan.
In October 2023, Pakistan announced phase one of the “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan” with a 30-day deadline for “undocumented” aliens to leave the country or be subject to deportation, putting 1.4 million Afghan refugees at risk. Over 600,000 Afghans have been expelled under this phase.
In phase two, Afghans holding Pakistan-issued Afghan citizenship cards (ACCs) will be expelled while phase three is expected to target those with UNHCR-issued PoR cards.
Major victory for ex-PM Khan as Pakistan top court rules party eligible for reserved seats
- Khan’s PTI was denied its share of reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies, benefitting the ruling coalition
- Legal experts say government will not have two-third majority in parliament and need PTI’s support with some legislations
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top court on Friday delivered a landmark verdict saying the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan was eligible for reserved seats in parliament, mounting pressure on the fragile ruling coalition of premier Shehbaz Sharif.
PTI candidates contested the Feb. 8 general elections as independents after the party was barred from the polls and though these independents won the most seats, 93, the election commission ruled they were not entitled to their share of reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies for women and minorities since these were meant for political parties only. The seats were then allotted to other parties, mostly from those in Sharif’s ruling coalition.
In the National Assembly of Pakistan, political parties are allocated 70 reserved seats — 60 for women, 10 for non-Muslims — in proportion to the number of seats won in general elections. This completes the National Assembly’s total 336 seats. A simple majority in Pakistan’s parliament is 169 out of 336 seats. Likewise, there are reserved seats in all four provincial assemblies that are distributed on proportional basis among the winning parties.
In March, both the ECP and Peshawar High Court in separate rulings said the independents were not eligible for the reserved seats, dealing a blow to the embattled PTI’s governing prospects and proving to be a major setback for Khan, who has been in jail since last August. The verdicts were subsequently overruled by the Supreme Court, which has since last month been hearing a set of petitions on the issue.
On Friday, the Supreme Court set aside the Peshawar High Court verdict and said the ECP order declaring the PTI ineligible for reserved seats was “ultra vires of the constitution, without lawful authority and of no legal effect.”
“PTI shall be eligible for women and minorities’ reserved seats in parliament,” Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa said as he read the verdict in one of the petitions filed by the PTI-backed bloc, calling on the ECP to recalculate the number of reserved seats Khan’s party was entitled to.
The majority Supreme Court verdict also declared the ECP’s decision to distribute the reserved seats among other political parties unconstitutional.
The verdict also declared that “the lack or denial of an election symbol does not in any manner affect the constitutional and legal rights of a political party to participate in an election (whether general or by) and to field candidates and the Commission is under a constitutional duty to act, and construe and apply all statutory provisions, accordingly.”
PTI’s Syed Shibli Faraz, currently serving as the leader of the opposition in the Senate, said this was a “historic” day in Pakistani politics.
“Heartiest congratulations firstly to the Pakistani public and their leader Imran Khan,” Faraz told reporters after the court ruling was announced.
The PTI is currently entitled to around 78 reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies, which does not affect the parliamentary majority of the Sharif-led coalition government.
The verdict also bolsters the political position of Khan’s supporters, whose rallying cry has been that the election commission and a pro-military caretaker government that oversaw the polls indulged in electoral fraud to deprive it of a victory. The ECP denies this.
“PTI WAS AND IS A PARTY”
All candidates from Khan’s PTI party were forced to contest the February polls as independents after the party was stripped of its election symbol of the cricket bat by the ECP on the technical grounds that it did not hold intra-party elections, a prerequisite for any party to take part in polls.
After the election, the PTI-backed candidates were forced to join Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) party to claim a share of the reserved seats as independents are not eligible for the extra seats.
“The Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (“PTI”) was and is a political party, which secured or won (the two terms being interchangeable) general seats in the National and Provincial Assemblies in the General Elections of 2024,” the court ruled.
The order said elected members of the PTI could not be declared independents or candidates of the SIC and gave the PTI 15 days to submit its list of candidates entitled for reserved seats to the election commission.
Addressing a press conference, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the government would wait for the detailed judgment to decide on its course of action, but pointed out that the petitions had been filed by the SIC but “relief” had been given by the court to the PTI, which did not file the pleas.
“A lot of confusion and questions has been born from this judgment,” he told reporters. “A situation has been created in which there is little clarity.”
In a statement sent to media, the PTI said 86 PTI-backed returned candidates in the National Assembly and 107 in the Punjab Assembly, 91 in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and 9 in the Sindh Assembly “are entitled to be counted for the purpose of election to the reserved seats on the basis of proportional representation.” It is expected that the PTI could get up to 23 reserved seats after Friday’s judgment.
PM Sharif formed a weak coalition with other parties after the Feb. 8 general elections produced a hung parliament.
Sharif’s PML-N party’s 79 and the PPP’s 54 seats together made a simple majority in parliament to form a government at the center and also roped in smaller parties in the coalition.
Legal experts said the judgment would help uphold rule of law and instill a hope in the public that state institutions were functioning well despite all challenges and pressures.
“This is a historic judgment in a sense that it has set a direction for the rule of law and strengthened democracy and democratic process in the country,” Aftab Bajwa, an advocate, told Arab News.
“The court has accepted the PTI as a legitimate party and ordered to allocate it the reserved seats as per the constitution,” he said, adding the judgment was also a charge sheet against the ECP for violating the constitution.
Advocate Salaar Khan said the court ruling had addressed “up to some extent the injustices” done to the PTI before the elections, including the decision that deprived the party of its election symbol and reserved seats in parliament.
“This judgment also means the ruling coalition now cannot have the two-third majority to amend the constitution unless it gets the PTI’s support,” he added. “The PTI will emerge as the single largest party in the National Assembly after the implementation of this verdict.”
