The government conducted a six-hour test on Sunday, blocking access to over two dozen Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) across Pakistan in a significant step toward regulating internet usage.
The News reported that the trial, carried out between 4 pm and 10 pm, marked the first instance of a government firewall noticeably affecting VPN access nationwide.
During the trial, premium and locally accessed VPN services experienced outages, with officials describing it as a “successful” test.
However, a government insider noted that the country’s existing infrastructure faced challenges in sustaining such controls without affecting overall internet performance. Following backlash from businesses that rely on VPNs for secure communication, the restrictions were lifted.
Telecom industry sources indicate that this test is part of a broader plan to strengthen firewall capabilities, with potential future blocks for unregistered VPN users.
Earlier, in response to speculations about VPN restrictions, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) clarified that it had no intention to block VPNs but urged companies, including IT firms and banks, to register their VPNs for uninterrupted access.
The use of VPNs in Pakistan has grown since February, especially after the government banned the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Many users turned to VPNs to bypass restrictions during prolonged internet disruptions earlier this year.
While unconfirmed social media reports suggested the PTA may have banned certain VPNs, officials attributed the Sunday disruption to a “brief glitch” in the system, reportedly lasting 30 minutes to an hour. Monitoring service Downdetector recorded spikes in complaints from users of VPN services such as VPN Unlimited and Tunnelbear, confirming connectivity issues.
The disruption also affected businesses with registered VPNs, which are generally protected from access issues under PTA’s guidance.
Since 2020, PTA has registered over 20,000 VPNs and IP addresses for software houses, call centers, and other organizations to ensure uninterrupted services.
