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KARACHI: IT industry has suggested formation of a joint committee, including representatives from the IT industry, business leaders, and relevant government stakeholders, to collaboratively develop a cybersecurity framework for the country.
The Pakistani IT companies are facing millions of dollars irrecoverable loss due to internet disruption in the country. As per the estimates of Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), Pakistan could lose up to $300 million.
Internet services is the basic need (or raw material) of the IT sector and its disruption for the past one week has badly hit the performance of the IT companies, mainly working for the foreign clients to bring the foreign exchange for the country. As per estimates Pakistan’s IT sector is facing a daily loss of millions of dollars due to slow internet connectivity.
Khushnood Aftab, Convener of the IT Committee at FPCCI, aligning his concerns with P@SHA, has said that IT companies have issued a stark warning about the devastating impact of the hastily implemented national firewall and believed that this move will directly hit the exports of the IT sector.
Pakistan’s IT industry, which was rapidly growing, is now reaching on the edge of disaster due to severe operational disruptions, he added.
The crippling effects of extremely slow or non-existent internet connectivity and erratic VPN performance are not mere technical glitches, but a direct and aggressive assault on the industry’s very survival.
He said that financial losses to the IT industry due to internet disruptions have already surged to $300 million, and the situation is dire as there is risk of even more damage.
Aftab mentioned that the government’s lack of transparency and implementation of new procedures without consultation of the IT industry has created deep distrust among international clients and they are now fearful for the security of their data.
“This growing lack of confidence threatens to trigger a mass exodus of IT companies, which would irrevocably damage Pakistan’s standing as a global technology hub,” he said.
He urged the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom (MoITT) to take immediate and decisive action to resolve this issue, otherwise the Pakistan IT sector will not be able to compete with other countries.
Aftab demanded the formation of a joint committee, including representatives from the IT industry, business leaders, and relevant government stakeholders, to collaboratively develop a cyber security framework that safeguards national interests without strangling the IT industry.
He underscored that the reliability of the internet is not just a business issue it is a matter of national security and any action that threatens this vital lifeline must be reconsidered urgently.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024