Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja says the government is fully committed to supporting the IT industry to unlock opportunities of digitization.

Responding to a question during the Question Hour in the House, she said average internet speed has improved by 28 percent, while usage of mobile phones surged to 24 percent. She added that IT exports in the month of November this year increased to 25 percent.

The Minister of State further said Pakistan’s internet runs at 274 megahertz, which provides limited accessibility and the government is trying to enhance spectrum density to the level of top ten countries of the region. 

She added that four more under-sea cables will be laid down in the next two years to improve internet connectivity and speed. She said efforts are also being made to enhance investment in the telecom sector.

Shaza Fatima Khawaja, however, acknowledged some challenges to users' experience because of the internet congestion and limited spectrum availability.

She said social media platform X was closed due to security concerns on the advice of the Interior Ministry. She said fixed lines were not closed even in the case of internet disruption due to security concerns.

The Minister of State said the government is trying hard to localize the matter pertaining to the security concerns to avoid mass level shutting down of internet and mobile services.

She said national security is the top priority and we have to strengthen the cyber security of the country to prevent cyber-attacks, data leakage, and digital strikes from hostile elements and states.

Meanwhile, the Lower House today passed "The National Forensics Agency Bill, 2024."

The Bill, moved by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, is aimed at enhancing forensic capabilities across Pakistan. The key initiatives include upgrading existing conventional forensic labs and establishing digital forensic lab that will provide services to all provinces, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir as well as government and private forensics labs.

The National Forensics Agency will integrate digital and cyber forensics to combat crimes involving electronic devices, deep fakes, and other electronic offences.

Moreover, it will develop a center of excellence and Research and Development department to make it a self-sustainable agency. It will also envisage developing indigenous solutions to minimize the dependence on foreign governments and agencies.

Besides, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb introduced "The Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024" in the House. This bill relates to the effective compliance to the tax laws and to ensure that taxes are paid according to income and consumption level to complete value chain of business and generate financial resources for economic development.

The House will now meet tomorrow at eleven in the morning.