It has reportedly been alleged that the Federal Investigation Agency or FIA’s airport employees have been stealing the data of passengers.
This data was sold in the black market. Three FIA officials have been probed under investigation. One of them has already been arrested, one is on bail and the other’s arrest warrant has been issued. These officials were invading the privacy of passengers.
Pakistan telecommunication agency (PTA) has called FIA for a briefing so that they can further discuss how this data has illegally been used. This information of passengers was then sold to unblock the non-customs paid mobile phones, which is a breach to their privacy.
Almost 45000 cases have been reported by PTA against the FIA gang. IT Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and the IT secretary were unable to attend this committee session which has earned them a lot of backlash as these issues are very sensitive and crucial.
The IT department has been seen taking this matter lightly when it needs strict actions and measures as the security of these passengers should be there first and foremost priority. The Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) is also being criticized for its carelessness. The committee chair Senator Rubina Khalid also criticized them by saying, “The phone blocking system is draconian and ridiculous. This is the only country in the world where everything is becoming harder for citizens every day and the noose around their necks is ever tightening. The system has failed to curb the smuggling of mobile handsets, the very purpose for which it was developed”.
Whereas, PTA Chairman Amir Azeem Bajwa has defended the DIRBS many times in these sessions by saying that commercial imports have doubled since DIRBS implementation. However, the investigation is still ongoing and all these organizations are collectively trying to come to a solution that could ensure their security and privacy even more.
