ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Interior sent a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) on Friday, asking it to block illegal Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) across the country while citing their use by militant groups for financial transactions and violent activities.
This directive follows international criticism of Pakistan’s Internet restrictions, notably after the February general elections, where allegations of electoral manipulation led to the blocking of social media platform X.
Media reports also suggested the government was setting up a national firewall, which had led to the slowdown of Internet speed across Pakistan, saying the decision was taken to curb “anti-state narratives” by political activists.
More recently, the PTA launched a new portal for VPN registration, saying it wanted to ensure secure and uninterrupted operations for online users and businesses.
“I am directed to refer to the subject cited above [about blockage of illegal VPNs] and to state that VPNs are increasingly being exploited by terrorists to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan,” the ministry’s letter to the PTA chairman noted.
“Of late, an alarming fact has been identified, wherein VPNs are used by terrorists to obscure and conceal their communications,” it added. “VPNs are also being used for discreetly access pornographic and blasphemous contents.”
Earlier this week, the PTA already disclosed that nearly 20 million Pakistanis try to access pornographic websites on a daily basis that were banned by the authorities in 2011.
The letter requested the top PTA official to block illegal VPNs nationwide while pointing out that registration of VPNs with PTA could be made the end of the ongoing month.
VPN users in Pakistan have already reported significant disruptions to services since last weekend, with issues relating to connectivity and restricted access.
Pakistan’s decision to impose online restrictions have been questioned by free speech activists and businesses alike.
PREDA, Pakistan’s first membership-based organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of professionals, also wrote a letter to the government earlier in the day, appealing for the adoption of stable digital policies to support growth and build an eco system for global competitiveness.
Pakistan government orders VPN ban, Islamic advisory council declares them ‘un-Islamic’
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Pakistan government orders VPN ban, Islamic advisory council declares them ‘un-Islamic’
- Interior ministry says ‘terrorists’ have been exploiting VPN services for violence, financial transactions
- Government has set up a portal for VPN registration, which can be done by the end of the ongoing month
Pakistan says IMF has not imposed new conditions under $7 billion bailout
- Finance ministry says measures cited as ‘new conditions’ are phased extensions of reforms already agreed
- Media described steps like civil servants’ asset disclosures and sugar industry deregulation as new demands
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Sunday some of the reform measures mentioned in the media and linked to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout program are not “new conditions” imposed by the lender but extensions of commitments already agreed under the arrangement.
Local media and social platforms have described a series of IMF-linked structural benchmarks as fresh conditions under the $7 billion loan for Pakistan in recent weeks. News reports published and broadcast in India also mentioned 11 measures under the loan, describing them as new IMF demands imposed on the country.
“The Ministry of Finance has clarified the intent, context, and continuity of reform measures under Pakistan’s IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, particularly in response to recent commentary regarding so-called ‘new conditions,’” said an official statement circulated in Islamabad.
“The purpose is to reaffirm that the measures referenced are part of a phased, medium-term reform agenda agreed with the IMF, many of which are extensions or logical progressions of reforms already initiated by the Government of Pakistan,” it added.
The ministry said the EFF is designed to support medium-term structural reforms implemented in a sequenced manner, with each program review building on prior actions to meet policy objectives agreed at the outset.
It provided detailed clarification on 11 measures that had been characterized as new conditions, including public disclosure of asset declarations of civil servants, strengthening the operational effectiveness of the National Accountability Bureau, empowering provincial anti-corruption bodies through access to financial intelligence and facilitating foreign remittances.
Other measures cited included the development of the local currency bond market, deregulation of the sugar industry, a comprehensive reform roadmap for the Federal Board of Revenue, a medium-term tax reform strategy, phased privatization of power distribution companies, regulatory reforms to strengthen corporate compliance and contingency measures to address potential revenue shortfalls.
The ministry said several of these reforms had been embedded in the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP), a document detailing mutually agreed commitments, dating back to May 2024 and March 2025, including pledges related to tax policy, governance, energy sector restructuring and revenue mobilization.
“During discussions and negotiations with the IMF, the Government of Pakistan presents its planned policy reform initiatives,” the statement added. “Where the IMF assesses that these initiatives contribute to the agreed program objectives, they are incorporated into the MEFP.”
“As a result,” it continued, “many of the structural benchmarks and actions included in the latest MEFP are derived from reforms already undertaken or initiated by the Government of Pakistan, rather than being externally imposed or newly introduced conditions.”
The statement noted the measures outlined in the latest MEFP represent “continuity, sequencing and deepening of Pakistan’s agreed reform agenda” under the IMF loan, rather than the “imposition of abrupt or unprecedented conditions.”
