Senators raised serious concerns about the potential registration of Starlink, a satellite internet company owned by Elon Musk, after the billionaire launched a days-long tirade against Pakistan on X, linking British grooming gangs to Pakistani.
The reservations were raised on Wednesday during a session of the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan in Parliament, to deliberate on key issues such as operations of Starlink, the proposed law on the protection of personal data and the performance of the telecommunications authority.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman informed senators that the country’s first National Space Policy was approved in 2023 and relevant rules were envisaged in 2024, followed by the establishment of the Activities Regulatory Board Pakistan Space Agency (PSARB) — a body governed by the National Command Authority.
He added that any satellite service will be required to register with the concerned authorities to operate in Pakistan before obtaining a license from the PTA.
He said Musk’s Starlink applied for a license in February 2022, which was forwarded to the Interior Ministry for security clearance. The head of the telecommunications regulator added that the license would be issued to Starlink after its registration with the new regulatory board.
He added that a Chinese company, Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology, was also setting up operations in Pakistan, while any company could apply for a license to enter the country’s satellite communications market.
“Musk should apologize”
“Elon Musk was involved in a social media campaign against Pakistan,” Senator Dr Afnan Ullah Khan argued, urging the authorities concerned to take note of what the SpaceX chief has been propagating against the country.
“Why should we allow such people to operate businesses here, who speak against Pakistanis […] or he [Musk] should apologize,” Dr Afnan added.
To this, the PTA president clarified that the Ministry of the Interior had not given permission to Starlink and clarified that Musk’s company had shared unofficial documents claiming that the speed of the service was 100 MBPS .
He added that Starlink would be a broadband service that could support entrepreneurs in remote parts of the country.
“Immoral content”
Following PTA Chairman’s remarks, Senator Anusha Rahman raised tough questions on the telecom authority’s strategy to tackle ‘immoral content and implementation’ [of regulatory decisions]”.
She believes they have witnessed global developments in broadband alongside internet disruptions.
“Now you bring a product […] a satellite under the control of an aggressive person like Elon Musk. We would face many problems of immorality and implementation. »
She also questioned which regulatory body would deal with these issues and who would control their content.
The PTA chairman said Starlink would not operate from satellite to satellite but would be operated through a gateway based in the country.
He added that the authority had raised its concerns with Elon Musk’s company and in response it had agreed to adhere to government policies and assured that it would not circumvent the existing system. The service will also enforce government instructions to block certain content, it said.
It is worth mentioning here that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan also reacted sharply to a recent spate of “xenophobic remarks” and expressed deep concern over increasingly racist and Islamophobic political and media comments against the Pakistani community in the United Kingdom.
He also demanded to condemn the elements involved in demonizing such a large and diverse community based on the actions of a few individuals.
During the meeting, Senator Palwasha raised concerns over Musk’s repeated claims about grooming gangs in the UK consisting primarily of Pakistani nationals, describing the narrative as targeted disinformation against Pakistan, further amplified with the collaboration of Indian entities.
She questioned whether Starlink had contacted Pakistani authorities again, sparking hype in national media. To this, the PTA chief responded that Musk’s controversial tweets had further stimulated the debate.
The committee unanimously resolved to summon the already constituted regulatory body for a briefing at the next meeting.
It is pertinent to mention here that Minister of State for IT and Telecommunications Shaza Fatima Khawaja said last month that Pakistan was in touch with Starlink to bring its services to the country.
Musk had also confirmed earlier this month that he was awaiting approval from Islamabad to launch his satellite internet service.
The country has grappled sporadically with slow internet since last year, with the government constantly blaming flaws in undersea cables, while reports suggest possible experimentation with a “firewall” by authorities.
