Several members of the National Assembly raised the issue of poor internet connectivity during a sitting in Islamabad, directly linking the problem to parliament’s ongoing push toward paperless proceedings, which requires lawmakers to access official documents, bills, and legislative material digitally on tablets provided to all members. Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah reminded the House that parliamentary operations were being automated as part of a broader modernisation effort and that physical distribution of documents would soon be discontinued entirely, urging members to engage with the system. However, the session itself exposed the gap between that ambition and the current ground reality.
JUI-F Member of the National Assembly Naeema Kishwer told the House that she had been attempting to use the paperless system but had been unable to download official documents for over an hour due to poor internet connectivity in the building, requesting the National Assembly Secretariat to resolve the issue to ensure proceedings could function smoothly. PPP lawmaker Dr Nafisa Shah observed that members had generally failed to comply with the speaker’s instructions on tablet usage during sittings, suggesting the difficulty may partly stem from a lack of familiarity with the devices alongside the technical connectivity problems. Several members called for a dedicated support desk to be established within the National Assembly to assist lawmakers experiencing difficulties with the digital system, acknowledging that the transition to a paperless environment required a structured support mechanism rather than a sink-or-swim approach.
On the broader national internet quality question, lawmakers including Sharmila Faruqi questioned why internet speeds across the country remained so poor and whether the recently completed spectrum auction would translate into real improvements for consumers. Federal Information Technology and Telecom Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja responded that internet services were expected to improve following the spectrum auction, which she described as the world’s largest in terms of spectrum volume auctioned, and attributed part of the historical infrastructure deficit to telecom operators having halted the opening of letters of credit in 2022, which affected the import of equipment and slowed network expansion. She noted that the stabilisation of the dollar after 2022 had helped improve conditions for infrastructure development in the telecom sector. The session also turned to digital harassment and online fraud, with PPP Member of the National Assembly Shazia Marri calling for a comprehensive and organised public awareness campaign, arguing that online scams were being conducted with increasing boldness and that the government needed to bring media organisations into a coordinated effort to educate citizens about cyber threats. The minister confirmed that PTA was actively working on the issue alongside other relevant institutions and that authorities regularly issued advisories warning citizens not to share one-time passwords or personal identification numbers with unknown parties.
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