ISLAMABAD: On Sunday, the government conducted a six-hour trial blocking over two dozen Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), marking a significant step in Pakistan’s internet regulation efforts.
This temporary restriction, lasting from 4 PM to 10 PM, was the first instance of a government firewall noticeably affecting internet users across the country. Both premium and locally accessible VPNs faced outages, confirmed by a government official.
He said, “The trial blocking of over 20 VPNs was successful, though our infrastructure currently struggles to handle the load,” underscoring challenges in managing such controls.
The VPN block was lifted following pushback from businesses that depend on VPNs for secure communications. Looking ahead, unregistered VPNs may face restrictions as the government enhances its firewall capabilities.
In response to speculation in September about VPN restrictions, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) clarified it had no plans to block VPNs entirely. However, it urged businesses—such as IT firms, software houses, freelancers, and banks—to register their IPs to maintain VPN access, specifying their intended use and business activities during registration.
VPNs are commonly used worldwide to bypass content restrictions. In Pakistan, citizens have used VPNs to access the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which has been banned for several months. The government has stated that the ban on X will not be lifted until the platform formally registers in Pakistan.
This trial marked the first test of the newly implemented firewall, exposing some limitations within the country’s internet infrastructure, as users reported noticeable slowdowns during the activation.
Officials are now exploring technical adjustments to reduce system strain, aiming to balance regulatory measures with the need for reliable internet performance.
