PTA: Blocking All VPNs is Possible, but It Would Hurt Businesses
Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Major General (R) Hafeez Rahman, said on Thursday that while it’s possible to block all VPNs in Pakistan, doing so would negatively impact businesses.
Speaking to the Senate Standing Committee on IT & Telecom, he explained that the PTA has started whitelisting VPNs to block unauthorized services. He noted that X (formerly Twitter) usage in Pakistan has dropped by 70 percent, with only 30 percent of people accessing the app through VPNs.
Rahman also mentioned that X has addressed only 7 percent of the PTA’s complaints in the last three months. He added that the decision to unblock X is up to the federal government.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told the committee that posts offending religious sentiments often lead to protests. He acknowledged that criticism of the government is more common on platforms like YouTube and TikTok than on X but stated that the government does not oppose social media criticism.
