After Google took the lead and registered with the SECP, the popular video-sharing platform TikTok is the second on the list to open an office in the country.
TikTok has agreed to establish a liaison office in Pakistan, according to IT and Telecom Minister Syed Aminul Haque. This is a pleasant development, as TikTok has grown to become one of the country’s most popular social media platforms. In a country where companies remain hesitant due to a lack of trust and inconsistent policies, foreign firms as big as Google and TikTok setting up their offices in the country could be a building block in enriching Pakistan technologically.
TikTok has been the subject of several bans for the dissemination of immoral content in Pakistan. However, those bans were lifted following the ongoing engagement of the leadership of the country with TikTok management. If TikTok opens an office in Pakistan, it will be able to work more closely with the government.
Haque stated that having social media companies establish offices in the country would help coordinate and regulate the content. Influencers are excited about the development because thousands of creators earn considerable amounts through it.
Previously, Google was registered as a company in Pakistan by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). According to a document issued by the SECP to Google following its successful registration, Google Asia Pacific Pvt. Ltd, incorporated in Singapore, had established a liaison office in the country in accordance with Section 435 of the Companies Act 2017.
The Pakistan government, under social media rules, made it mandatory for all social media companies, including Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter, to register in the country, allowing the government to exercise limits enacted under the “Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight, and Safeguards) Rules, 2021.”
Following Google, TikTok is going is the second conglomerate to agree on opening an office in Pakistan. Other tech giants including Facebook and Twitter might follow in the steps footsteps too and open their offices soon.
