ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Technology and Telecom has expressed serious reservations over the collection of citizens’ data through a household survey being conducted in Islamabad, warning that Pakistan has no effective data protection law in place to safeguard sensitive information.
The committee meeting, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan at the Parliament Lodges, discussed several key issues, including mobile service shutdowns, rising mobile internet package prices, and the legal status of the ongoing household survey.
The session opened with the matter of mobile network suspension in Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Senator Atta Rehman criticized the government for suspending mobile services on the pretext of security threats, arguing that such actions “provide more protection to terrorists.” He questioned how elected representatives or citizens could seek help during an attack without mobile connectivity.
The PTA chairman clarified that decisions to suspend mobile and internet services are taken by the Ministry of Interior and the federal government, while PTA merely implements them.
Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima acknowledged that such shutdowns negatively affect economic activity, adding that the government aims to impose such restrictions only when unavoidable.
The increasing cost of mobile internet packages was also discussed.
Minister Shaza Fatima stated that Pakistan still offers one of the cheapest mobile internet services in the world, and announced that the government plans to auction the 5G spectrum within the next two months.
The PTA chairman informed the committee that the cheapest available mobile package currently costs Rs147.
The committee strongly objected to the ongoing household survey in Islamabad, during which officials are collecting detailed data from residents.
Committee chairperson Senator Palwasha Khan warned that Pakistan has no strong data protection law, and that any leakage of sensitive information could pose serious risks to citizens’ life and property.
Senator Afnan Ullah recalled that NADRA’s data had also been leaked in the past, yet no one was held accountable.
The Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, briefing the committee, said the door-to-door survey is being conducted on the Prime Minister’s directives, and that data from 32,000 households has already been collected.
Committee members expressed concern over the survey’s legal basis, data security mechanisms, and citizens’ privacy, noting that the explanations provided were unsatisfactory.