ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology has said that Starlink would be granted a licence to operate in the country only if its owner Elon Musk issues a public apology for his anti-Pakistan remarks.
The session chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, convened on Wednesday to discuss the licencing process for satellite internet services in Pakistan, with a particular focus on the operations of Starlink.
During the meeting Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman provided an update on Starlink’s application for registration, which was submitted on February 24, 2022.
He further stated that the matter had been forwarded to the Ministry of Interior for security clearance. The case is currently under review by the newly established Pakistan Authority for Space and Regulatory Bodies (PASRB), which will determine the final decision on the issuance of the licence.
During the meeting, Senator Palwasha Khan expressed concerns regarding the actions of Starlink’s owner, Elon Musk, citing his recent social media activity. She criticised Musk for what she described as an alleged anti-Pakistan stance, accusing him of echoing India’s narrative against Pakistan.
“It seems Elon Musk has partnered with India to propagate false allegations against Pakistan,” she remarked.
In response, Senator Afnan Ullah Khan proposed that Starlink should only be granted a licence if Musk issues a public apology for his remarks.
“The PTA must consider Musk’s campaign against Pakistan before issuing a license. He should apologise for his statements before any further steps are taken,” he said.
Earlier, IT and Telecom Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja announced that the satellite-based internet company, Starlink, had been officially registered in Pakistan. Elon Musk later responded on the social media platform X, confirming that the company was in talks with the government.
Musk’s baseless anti-Pakistan tirade
Recently, Musk has endorsed a baseless and fales anti-Pakistan narrative promoted by Priyanka Chaturvedi, a Rajya Sabha MP affiliated with India’s Shiv Sena (UBT) party.
Chaturvedi sparked controversy by asserting that the responsibility for grooming gangs in the UK should not be attributed to Asia as a whole but rather to “one rogue nation”—Pakistan. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, publicly endorsed her statement, calling it “true” on social media and aligning himself with Chaturvedi’s stance.
The discussion surrounding grooming gangs in the UK has grown more heated following comments by Labour leader and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who highlighted his role in overseeing the first prosecution of an Asian grooming gang.
Chaturvedi criticised Starmer’s narrative, questioning the tendency to associate the issue of grooming gangs with entire ethnic communities.