Senators expressed serious concerns over the potential registration of Starlink, an Elon Musk-owned satellite internet company, after the billionaire launched a days-long tirade against Pakistan on X, linking UK grooming gangs to Pakistanis.

The reservations were raised during a session of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Wednesday, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan at Parliament House, to deliberate on key issues including Starlink operations, the Personal Data Protection Bill, and the telecom authority’s performance.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman briefed senators that the country’s first National Space Policy had been approved in 2023 and relevant rules were envisaged in 2024 followed by the establishment of the Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board (PSARB) — a body governed by the National Command Authority.

It added that any satellite service will need a mandatory registration with the concerned authorities to operate in Pakistan before getting a licence from the PTA.

He detailed that Musk’s Starlink had applied for a licence in February 2022 which was forwarded to the Ministry of Interior for security clearance. The telecom regulator chief added that the licence would be issued to Starlink following its registration with the new regulatory board.

He further said that a Chinese company, Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology, was also coming to Pakistan while any firm could apply for a licence to enter the country’s satellite communications market.

‘Musk should apologise’

“Elon Musk was involved in a social media campaign against Pakistan,” Senator Dr Afnan Ullah Khan argued, urging the authorities concerned to note what the SpaceX chief propagated against the country.

“Why we should allow such people to operate businesses here, who are talking against Pakistanis […] or he [Musk] should tender an apology,” Dr Afnan added.

To this, the PTA chairman clarified that the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has not given clearance to Starlink and elaborated that Musk’s firm had shared some unofficial documents claiming the service’s speed to be 100 MBPS.

He added that Starlink would be a broadband service which could support entrepreneurs in far-flung areas of the country.

‘Immoral content’

Following the PTA chairman’s remarks, Senator Anusha Rahman raised tough questions about the telecom authority’s strategy to deal with “immoral content and implementation [of regulatory decisions]”.

She was of the view that they have witnessed global developments regarding broadband alongside internet disruptions.

“Now you are bringing a product […] a satellite, which is under the control of an aggressive person like Elon Musk. We would face many issues of immorality and implementation.”

She also questioned which regulatory body would address the said issues and who would keep a check on its content.

The PTA chairman claimed that Starlink would not run from satellite to satellite but would be operated through a gateway based in the country.

He added that the authority had forwarded its concerns to Musk’s firm and in response, it agreed to adhere to the government’s policies and assured that it would not bypass the prevailing system. The service will also oblige the government’s instructions to block certain content, he said. 

It is noteworthy to mention here that Pakistan’s Foreign Office had also strongly reacted to a recent spate of “xenophobic remarks” and expressed deep concern over the increasingly racist and Islamophobic political and media commentary towards the Pakistani community in the UK.

It also demanded to condemn the elements involved in demonising such a large and diverse community on the basis of the actions of a few individuals.

During the meeting, Senator Palwasha raised concerns about Musk’s repeated claims regarding grooming gangs in the UK comprised predominantly of Pakistani nationals, describing the narrative as targeted disinformation against Pakistan, further amplified with the collaboration of Indian entities.

She questioned whether Starlink has reapproached the Pakistani authorities which led to a hype in the national media. To this, the PTA chief replied that Musk’s controversial tweets had further sparked the debate.

The committee unanimously resolved to summon the already constituted regulatory body for a briefing in the next meeting.

It is pertinent to mention here that Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja last month said that Pakistan was in contact with Starlink to bring its services to the country.

Musk had also confirmed earlier this month that he was waiting on Islamabad’s approval to launch his satellite internet service.

The country has been grappling with slow internet sporadically since last year, with the government consistently blaming submarine cable faults, while reports hint at possible experimentation with a “firewall” by authorities.