PTI Claims Rs40 Billion Social Media Firewall Project Has Failed; Rana Sanaullah Defends Initiative

Central Information Secretary of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Sheikh Waqas Akram, has said that the government’s Rs40 billion social media firewall project has failed.

In a statement, Sheikh Waqas Akram criticized the government, saying that its incompetence had caused billions of rupees in losses to the national exchequer due to the firewall initiative. He claimed that the Rs40 billion project aimed at regulating social media had proven unsuccessful.

He further alleged that the firewall project was the result of what he described as “founder PTI phobia,” referring to Imran Khan. According to him, the firewall adversely affected the IT sector, freelancers, and online businesses, forcing hundreds of thousands of young people to consider leaving the country.

Meanwhile, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, defended the initiative. He said that if the Rs40 billion firewall had failed, it would be rebuilt. “If it fails a second time, it will be built a third time,” he stated, adding that whether the cost is Rs40 billion or Rs400 billion, there can be no compromise on the matter.

Rana Sanaullah also argued that countries around the world have taken measures to protect themselves from what he termed digital onslaughts, and Pakistan must do the same.