Lahore High Court on Tuesday sought responses from federation, Ministry of Information Technology and Pakistan Telecomunication Authority while issuing notices to respondents in response to petition challenging slow down Internet speed and blocking Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A single-member bench of the Justice Iqbal Chaudhry issued the notices in the matter after hearing plea of Advocate Supreme Court Azhar Siddique who pointed out that slowed down of internet speed the users’ facing disruption of the service and also grappling difficulties in the internet use.
Chairman Judicial Activism Panel Azhar Siddique apprised the court saying the PTA is not competent to impose ban on VPN. He claimed government ban in the matter was againt constitutional gurantees and violation of fundamental rights.
Petitioner apprised the bench saying the government is also going to impose ban over the VPN without any legal justification. He sought restrating order of the court for ending obstacles in the Internet speed and ban on the VPN. The Senate Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication has summoned interior secretary over the blockage of the VPN.
The Senate body met with Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Senator Palwasha Khan in chair. “The internet ban has created unrest in the country, our youth earning their livelihood through the internet has been worried, calling VPNs illegal is being ridiculed globally,” the Senator said.
A private television reported that the Chairman PTA has been reported saying they have been working on VPN for two years. He clarified that the VPN registered for the users do not face internet disruptions. The PTA chairman said that so far, 25,000 people have registered their VPNs.
