
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk speaks with Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, during the Ira C. Eaker Distinguished Speaker Presentation in the Academy's Arnold Hall on April 7, 2022 in Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor cokley)
On Wednesday, the National Assembly’s Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology, under the leadership of Senator Palwasha Khan, gathered to review the licensing framework for satellite internet services in Pakistan, with an emphasis on the operations of Starlink.
During the session, the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) delivered an update concerning Starlink’s registration application, which was filed on February 24, 2022. He indicated that the application has been sent to the Ministry of Interior for the necessary security clearance.
The case is presently under review by the newly established Pakistan Authority for Space and Regulatory Bodies (PASRB), which will render the final decision on the licensing. Senator Palwasha Khan raised issues regarding the behavior of Starlink’s owner, Elon Musk, particularly in relation to his recent social media posts. She criticized Musk for his perceived anti-Pakistan comments, alleging that he is promoting India’s narrative against Pakistan.
She stated that it appears Elon Musk has joined forces with India to disseminate misleading claims about Pakistan.
In response, Senator Afnan Ullah Khan recommended that Starlink should only be allowed to operate in Pakistan if Musk issues a public apology for his statements.
He argued that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) should evaluate Musk’s actions against Pakistan prior to granting a license, insisting that an apology is essential before any further actions are taken. Earlier, IT and Telecom Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja revealed that Starlink had been officially registered in Pakistan, to which Musk later confirmed on the social media platform X that negotiations with the government were in progress.
Recently, Elon Musk has expressed support for an anti-Pakistan viewpoint advocated by Priyanka Chaturvedi, a member of the Rajya Sabha associated with the Shiv Sena (UBT) party in India. Chaturvedi ignited debate by asserting that the issue of grooming gangs in the UK should not be attributed to Asia as a whole, but specifically to “one rogue nation”—Pakistan. Musk, who leads SpaceX and Tesla, endorsed this assertion on social media, labeling it as “true” and aligning himself with Chaturvedi’s stance.
The discussion regarding grooming gangs in the UK has gained momentum after comments made by Labour leader and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He reflected on his experience leading the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) from 2008 to 2013, during which he oversaw the initial prosecution of an Asian grooming gang. Chaturvedi challenged Starmer’s perspective, raising concerns about the inclination to link the issue of grooming gangs to entire ethnic communities.
Musk expressed his dissatisfaction with Starmer, who has dismissed requests for a new national inquiry and is instead promoting the adoption of recommendations from a previous seven-year investigation into child sexual exploitation.