Telecom companies in Pakistan have disclosed to the Islamabad High Court that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has mandated them to provide intelligence agencies with access to user data as a condition for obtaining operational licenses.
During a court session presided over by Justice Babar Sattar, the legal representatives of the telecom operators detailed that compliance with PTA’s requirements involves installing systems that enable intelligence agencies to access any customer’s data without the operators’ continuous oversight or detailed knowledge of the data being accessed.
The revelation came after the PTA chairman and board members had previously submitted an affidavit to the court, asserting that the authority had not authorized any agency to tap telephone communications. Contrary to this affidavit, the telecom companies’ lawyers clarified that they had installed systems specifically for two intelligence agencies, which operate independently of the companies’ control.
In response to these disclosures, Justice Babar Sattar expressed his intention to issue contempt of court notices to the PTA chairman and board members for their misleading statements regarding the unauthorized surveillance capabilities.
 to provide intelligence agencies access to customer data, contradicting prior statements by PTA officials.){kind=link}