The Pakistani government banned unregistered VPNs.

The unregistered VPNs have been temporarily restricted for whitelisting purposes. Sources within the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) classified unregistered VPNs as a ‘security risk’ for Pakistan, as they may provide access to ‘important information.’

The PTA has advised enterprises, including IT companies, software houses, freelancers, and banks, to register their IP addresses to guarantee ongoing VPN access and uninterrupted internet services for authorized customers. Registrants must disclose their intended purpose and delineate their commercial operations.

The PTA commenced the registration of VPNs in 2010, and to date, around 20,500 VPNs have been registered, according to sources.

VPNs are widely utilized globally to circumvent restricted content. In Pakistan, residents have employed VPNs to access the social media network X (previously Twitter), which has been prohibited for several months.

The government of Pakistan has declared that it will not remove the ban on X unless the platform officially registers within the nation.

Previously, to guarantee seamless commercial operations for software houses, contact centers, freelancers, and foreign embassies, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) initiated a one-window operation for the whitelisting of IP and VPN registrations.