The Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom on Monday raised serious security concerns over Pak Datacom transferring government entity data to a foreign satellite company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Committee members questioned whether the necessary permissions had been secured before the data was moved abroad. The General Manager of Pak Datacom told the committee that the transfer had taken place only after obtaining clearance from all concerned government entities.
The committee chairman, however, said shifting sensitive government data to a foreign-based satellite company could pose serious security risks. Senator Saadia Abbasi questioned during the meeting whether the data shift itself created security issues.
The former CEO of Pak Datacom also briefed the committee, warning that moving government data to the UAE-based satellite firm could create security vulnerabilities. He urged relevant security agencies to examine the implications of transferring government data outside Pakistan.
Committee members further discussed the need for an independent audit of the arrangement to verify whether all security, regulatory and procedural requirements had been met. The chairman recommended that the National Telecom and Information Security Board conduct an audit of the data transfer.
The committee said the security of government data could not be compromised and called for a detailed assessment of the arrangement, given the involvement of a foreign-based entity.
