The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has decided not to block Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
On Saturday, according to Independent Urdu, PTA Chairman Major General (Retd) Hafeez Rehman confirmed, “VPNs will not be blocked from today. The matter of extending their registration period is the Ministry of Interior’s concern.”
Additionally, a PTA official stated that this is not the right time to block VPNs. “How can we block them? That’s why we are not blocking VPNs,” he said.
Previously, on November 11, the PTA Chairman informed the Senate’s Standing Committee on Information Technology that unregistered VPNs would be shut down after November 30. However, he reassured, “VPNs are still operational in the country; they have not been shut down yet.”
He further explained, “The IT industry cannot function without VPNs, and that’s why we decided to complete the registration process for businesses, freelancers, and IT companies by November 30.”
According to the PTA Chairman, “If a VPN is registered, it will continue to work. As of now, 25,000 VPNs have been registered. Those with registration will continue to have internet access.”
It is important to note that blocking VPNs could prevent users from accessing social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and other websites. Earlier this year, Pakistan had imposed a ban on the social media platform X, which led to an increase in the use of VPNs across the country.
In 2022, the PTA had directed Pakistani citizens, companies, and government and private organizations to register their VPNs, but there was little progress.
Recently, the Council of Islamic Ideology issued a fatwa declaring VPNs as non-Islamic, which was later dismissed as a typing error.
Why are VPNs used?
Virtual Private Network (VPN) is used to bypass blocked content as in Pakistan, users use VPNs to unrestrict social media access like X (formerly known as Twitter)
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