The Interior Ministry has instructed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block unregistered Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) across Pakistan, citing their misuse in terrorist communications, financial crimes, and access to prohibited content such as pornography and blasphemous material.
This directive aligns with PTA’s ongoing efforts to tighten VPN regulations. The authority revealed that it has already blocked over 100,000 URLs containing blasphemous content and more than 840,000 pornographic websites. Additionally, nearly 20 million attempts to access such material are intercepted daily at the international gateway level.
The Interior Ministry’s letter highlighted the rising misuse of VPNs by terrorist groups to obscure communication and conduct illicit financial activities. It also pointed out Pakistan’s alarming global ranking for accessing adult content via VPNs, underlining the urgent need for stricter controls.
To mitigate these issues, PTA has mandated that only registered VPNs will remain operational, with a registration deadline set for November 30. Legitimate users, including IT professionals and businesses, can continue using VPNs after registering through a simplified online process.
While PTA attributed recent disruptions in VPN services to technical issues, critics argue that these measures aim to bolster censorship and surveillance. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar defended the crackdown, emphasizing its necessity to curb misuse by separatist and terrorist networks.
Earlier, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) declared VPN usage for accessing restricted content as un-Islamic. CII Chairman Dr. Raghib Hussain Naeemi supported VPN registration and advocated for public awareness campaigns to encourage ethical online behavior in line with Islamic values.
Despite the crackdown, digital rights activists warn of its potential implications for online freedom and privacy in Pakistan.
