Daily Times

The Interior Ministry on Friday asked the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block “illegal VPNs” across Pakistan, citing their use by terrorists to “facilitate violent activities” and to “access pornographic and blasphemous content”.

Virtual Private Networks, better known as VPNs, are widely used around the world to access content that may be inaccessible or blocked for internet users in their home country. In the case of Pakistanis, they are used to access X, among other restricted websites.

On Wednesday, the PTA said that VPN usage would be restricted in the future to curb access to pornographic content, following a disruption that rendered VPNs dysfunctional across the country on Sunday.

In a statement, the authority claimed it had so far blocked 100,183 URLs containing blasphemous content, as well as 844,008 pornographic websites. It also claimed that approximately 20 million attempts were made from within the country to access pornographic websites daily, which were blocked at the international gateway level.

The statement by PTA highlighting its performance came a day after the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony wrote to the regulator, asking it to block blasphemous and pornographic content.

In a letter to PTA on Friday, the interior ministry said that “VPNs are increasingly being exploited by the terrorists to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan.

“Of late, an alarming fact has been identified, wherein VPNs are used by terrorists to obscure and conceal their communications,” the letter said. “VPNs are also being used [to] discreetly access pornographic and blasphemous contents.”

“It is pointed out that Pakistan is considered as one of the leading country in terms of visiting porn sites using VPNs,” the letter said, adding that these trends warranted the prohibition of unauthorised VPNs to address the critical threats.

“It is, therefore, requested to block illegal VPNs across Pakistan so that legitimate/registered VPN users are not affected.”

Additionally, registration of VPNs with PTA may be made till November 30, the letter stated.

Last week, users from across the country reported they were experiencing “restricted access” to VPNs, alongside poor internet connectivity.

Digital rights activists termed the disruption the government’s attempt to “enforce strict censorship and surveillance over citizens”. The PTA, however, dismissed users’ claim that it was “throttling” VPNs and said the disruptions were caused by a “technical glitch”. It also urged users to register their VPNs.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced on Friday that mobile internet services have been temporarily suspended in certain areas of Balochistan, citing public safety concerns amidst a recent surge in terrorist attacks.

The PTA statement explained that the decision followed directives from relevant authorities and was implemented to “ensure public safety given the security situation in these areas.”

The temporary suspension comes as Pakistan grapples with an uptick in violent incidents, particularly affecting Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces. The PTA has yet to provide a timeline for the restoration of internet services in the affected areas.

The security landscape in Balochistan has worsened in recent months. Last week, a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta killed at least 24 people and injured 45 others.

According to Balochistan’s Inspector General of Police Mouzzam Jah Ansari, the blast specifically targeted army personnel from the Infantry School.

In August, Balochistan witnessed one of its deadliest assaults in years, with at least 73 people killed in coordinated attacks on police stations, railways, and highways. Retaliatory operations by security forces followed the assault, highlighting the scale of militant threats in the region.