The Interior Ministry of Pakistan has directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block all unauthorised Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) across the country. The ministry cited concerns over their use by terrorists to “facilitate violent activities” and access restricted content, including pornographic and blasphemous materials.
VPNs, which are widely used globally to bypass internet restrictions, have been employed in Pakistan to access banned websites and platforms. According to PTA, this crackdown follows an increasing trend of VPN misuse for unlawful purposes, including secure communications by terrorist groups and accessing restricted content.
PTA reported blocking over 100,000 URLs containing blasphemous material and more than 844,000 pornographic websites. Despite these efforts, the authority claimed that approximately 20 million daily attempts to access such content were being blocked at the international gateway level.
A letter from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony earlier in the week urged PTA to enhance its efforts against blasphemous and pornographic content. In response, PTA announced measures to regulate VPN usage while ensuring legitimate users could register their VPNs by November 30.
The ministry’s letter highlighted that Pakistan ranks among the leading countries in VPN usage to access pornographic websites. It stated that “illegal VPNs” are increasingly being used to conceal communications by terrorist groups and access prohibited content.
The directive comes after recent disruptions to VPN services across Pakistan, which many users linked to deliberate censorship attempts. PTA, however, denied such claims, attributing the issues to technical problems. Digital rights activists have criticised the government’s move, suggesting it aims to increase censorship and surveillance under the guise of addressing security concerns.
VPN users across the country have been advised to register their services to avoid disruptions, as the PTA continues its efforts to enforce compliance and regulate internet activity within the framework of existing laws.