The .PK Story

This page summarizes my position regarding the origins, disputed control, and future stewardship of Pakistan’s .PK country-code top-level domain, commonly associated with PKNIC.

That public IANA archive matters. Jon Postel was not a random commentator, later blogger, or casual observer. He was the central IANA authority of that era, and his public memo identified me as the manager of the .PK TLD for Pakistan. It did not name Ashar Nisar.

How .PK began

I founded and initiated Pakistan’s Internet, email, and .PK effort. In the earliest days, IMRAN.NET and my family’s home at 3-J Gulberg, Lahore were part of the physical and digital birthplace of Pakistan’s external Internet and email connectivity.

Ashar Nisar was invited by me to help in a technical capacity after initially dismissing the idea and saying it would not take off. My position is that the dispute began when Ashar later made himself the controlling party of the .PK function and moved the disputed .PK operation into PKNIC without my consent.

• Origin: I initiated the Pakistan Internet, email, and .PK effort.
• Public record: Jon Postel’s IANA archive identified me as manager of the .PK TLD for Pakistan.
• Early hub: IMRAN.NET and 3-J Gulberg, Lahore, were part of the original physical and digital base of the effort.
• Technical help: Ashar was brought in to assist technically, not to erase the founding role or take disputed control.
• Dispute: The .PK function was later moved into PKNIC under disputed circumstances and without my consent.
• Attempted resolution: I later accepted a private compromise resolution to avoid prolonged conflict, without waiving my broader claims.
• Breakdown: That compromise was later not honored, ending the possibility of informal resolution.

Why informal resolution failed

Years later, in the interest of peace and avoiding prolonged conflict, I accepted a private compromise resolution. That compromise was not an admission that my rights, founding role, stewardship claim, revenue claim, or legacy were limited in any way.

That compromise was later not honored. My position is that the failure to honor even a peaceful resolution, combined with delay and refusal to engage meaningfully, ended the possibility of informal resolution.

The history must not be rewritten

I am aware of efforts to rewrite the history of Pakistan’s Internet and email origins by replacing my name with Ashar’s in the story of work, vision, and public legacy that were mine.

I do not seek to erase anyone’s technical contributions. Technical assistance is real work. But technical assistance is not the same as founding vision, original responsibility, public IANA-recognized stewardship, or the right to take disputed control of a national digital asset.

Why .PK must be transitioned

For too long, Pakistanis have faced poor customer experience, outdated processes, paper-based transfer requirements, unnecessary friction, and lack of accountable national stewardship for a critical Pakistani digital asset.

Pakistan’s digital future should not be held back by a disputed structure that keeps .PK smaller, slower, and less modern than it should be.

A call to action

I call upon the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, the Government of Pakistan, and relevant national stakeholders to act so that .PK is transitioned into accountable Pakistani institutional, governmental, technical, and public-interest stewardship.

This should not be reduced to another vague review or delayed conversation. Pakistan needs a modern, accountable, national-scale .PK registry model worthy of its people and its digital future.

A digital-birthright vision

My vision for .PK is not about extracting more money from Pakistan. It is about unlocking Pakistan’s digital future.

One bold possibility is that every child born in Pakistan could eventually receive a free, permanent .PK domain as part of a national digital-birthright identity. Even if only a small percentage of families activated those domains, the result could be millions of new Pakistani websites, creators, students, entrepreneurs, and digital citizens.

That kind of future requires national stewardship, modern infrastructure, transparent governance, and a mission larger than private control.

My position now

I support the lawful transition of .PK into accountable Pakistani institutional, governmental, technical, and public-interest stewardship, so it can grow, modernize, and serve Pakistan at national scale.

Any attempt to portray my pursuit of accountability as a threat is false. This is about rightful stewardship, public record, accountability, and the future of .PK.

I will continue to support this transition openly, lawfully, and through institutional, public, and stakeholder channels for as long as necessary.