The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman, Major General (retired) Hafeezul Rehman, confirmed on Saturday that the government has approved an extension for the deadline to register virtual private networks (VPNs).
However, a new deadline has not been announced.
Addressing concerns, the PTA chief stated, “VPNs will not be blocked today,” reassuring users that no disruptions will occur on November 30, as initially planned. He clarified that the duration of the extension is a matter for the interior ministry.
This extension comes after a request from Wispap, which asked for more time to help users complete the registration process. Many freelancers and businesses rely on VPNs for their work, and blocking unregistered VPNs could have caused problems for Pakistan’s IT sector.
The Senate’s IT Committee had earlier criticized the VPN blocking plan, calling it “illegal.” Experts warned that blocking VPNs could hurt IT exports, which bring $400 million into the economy each year.
PTA said the registration process is easy and has already registered over 25,000 VPNs since 2016. Businesses, freelancers, and others can register VPNs through PTA’s website. The new deadline will be decided by the interior ministry.
