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Pakistan lawmakers seek apology from Elon Musk before decision on Starlink connectivity

Tech billionaire supports racist debate about ‘Asian grooming gangs’ that allegedly targeted British Pakistani community, says senator

Amir Latif Arain  | 22.01.2025 - Update : 22.01.2025
Pakistan lawmakers seek apology from Elon Musk before decision on Starlink connectivity

KARACHI, Pakistan 

Pakistani lawmakers demanded tech billionaire Elon Musk apologize Wednesday for his “anti-Pakistan” campaign on social media before the government deliberates on his request to launch internet services in the South Asian country.

The demand was made at a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Information Technology held in Islamabad to deliberate the licensing process for satellite internet services, with a particular focus on Musk’s Starlink operations.

Sen. Palwsha Khan, the chairwoman of the committee, raised concern about Musk’s latest remarks on his X platform that sparked concerns regarding perpetuating harmful anti-Pakistani stereotypes.

Musk’s remarks came amid an ongoing debate about “Asian grooming gangs” that allegedly targeted the British Pakistani community. His comments drew immediate criticism from the UK’s Muslim MPs, including Naz Shah, who described them as “dangerous” and likely to exacerbate divisions.

Khan accused Musk of aligning with “India's narrative” against Pakistan. "It looks like Elon Musk has sided with India to propagate false allegations against Pakistan," she said, according to 24 News.

Sen. Afnan Ullah Khan from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), proposed that Starlink should only be granted a license if Musk issues a public apology for the remarks.  

“The Starlink owner should apologize for his statements before any further steps are taken," he was quoted by 24 News.

The chief of the telecom governing body, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Hafeez Rehman, told senators that the issue has been referred to the Interior Ministry for security clearance and is currently under review by the newly-established Pakistan Authority for Space and Regulatory Bodies (PASRB), which will make the final decision on the issuance of the license to Starlink.

Starlink, according to Rehman, has assured it would abide by government orders in “letter and spirit,” if allowed to launch services in Pakistan.

Musk's confirmation of his intention to launch Starlink in Pakistan comes at a time when the South Asian nation topped the list of countries that suffered the most due to internet outages in 2024.

According to Top10VPN.com, an independent VPN reviewer, the global internet disruption lasted 88,788 hours last year which caused a financial loss of $7.69 billion.

It said Pakistan was the single most affected nation with $1.62 billion in losses, followed by Myanmar at $1.58 billion and Sudan with $1.12 billion.




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