ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) this week disclosed that over 20,000 companies and freelancers have so far registered for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) through its official website, days after it announced banning illegal ones.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior sent a letter to the PTA on Friday asking it to block illegal VPNs across the country, 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.
“To date, more than 20,000 companies and freelancers have successfully registered their VPNs through this efficient process,” the PTA said in a statement on Saturday.
The PTA said it had streamlined the VPN registration process for organizations and freelancers, saying that entities such as software houses, call centers, banks, embassies, and freelancers can now easily register their VPNs online through the PTA’s official website: www.pta.gov.pk.
It said the registration process involves completing an online form and providing basic details, including the national identity card number, company registration details and taxpayer status.
Meanwhile, it said freelancers must submit documentation, such as a letter or email, verifying their project or company association. Additionally, it said applicants must provide the IP address for VPN connectivity. If a fixed IP address is required, it can be acquired from an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
“The registration process is free, and approvals are typically granted within 8–10 hours of submission,” the PTA said.
After the interior ministry circulated its letter calling for a ban on VPNs on Friday, the Council of Islamic Ideology, a constitutional advisory body that reviews laws to ensure they align with Islamic principles, also declared VPNs usage “un-Islamic” in a statement the same day.
“The government and the state have the authority, from an Islamic perspective, to prevent all actions that lead to wrongdoing or facilitate it,” the council’s chairman, Raghib Hussain Naeemi, was quoted as saying in the statement.
“Therefore, measures to block or restrict access to immoral and offensive content, including the banning of VPNs, are in accordance with Shariah.”
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 says over 20,000 companies and freelancers have registered for VPNs
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Pakistan says over 20,000 companies and freelancers have registered for VPNs
- Pakistan’s interior ministry this week ordered a ban on VPNs, citing their use by militant groups
- Pakistan Telecommunication Authority says VPN registration can be completed on its website
Pakistan defense minister warns of ‘more legal action’ against ex-spy chief
- Faiz Hameed, ISI’s director-general from 2019-2021, was sentenced to 14 years by military court this week
- Defense Minister Khawaja Asif alleges Hameed planned violent priotests led by ex-PM Khan’s party in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday announced “more legal action” will be taken against former spy chief Faiz Hameed, days after he was sentenced to 14 years in prison by a military court.
Pakistan military’s media wing announced this week that Hameed, who was the director-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from 2019 to 2021, has been sentenced to 14 years after being found guilty of misusing authority and government resources, violating the Official Secrets Act and causing “wrongful loss to persons.”
The former spy chief was widely seen as close to ex-prime minister Imran Khan. Hameed, who retired from the army in December 2022, is accused by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of bringing down the government of his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, in 2017.
The PML-N alleges Hameed worked with then opposition leader Khan to plot Nawaz’s ouster through a series of court cases, culminating in the Supreme Court disqualifying of him from office in 2017 for failing to disclose income and ordering a criminal investigation into his family over corruption allegations. Khan’s party and Hameed have both denied the allegations.
“A senior officer and former head of the ISI has been convicted in a trial that lasted for a long period of 15 months,” Asif told reporters in Sialkot.
“There are more problems, charges on which legal action will be taken and that won’t take long.”
Asif repeated the PML-N’s allegations, accusing Hameed of having Nawaz disqualified through the court cases. He accused the former spy chief of propelling Khan to the office of the prime minister, blaming him for having leaders and supporters of the PML-N arrested during Khan’s premiership.
Pakistan military said this week that Faiz’s alleged role in “fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cahoots with political elements” was being handled separately. Many interpreted this as the military alluding to the May 9, 2023, nationwide unrest, when angry Khan supporters took to the streets and attacked military and government installations after he was briefly detained on corruption charges.
Asif said Faiz’s “brain and planning” was behind the May 2023 unrest.
“These two personalities can not be separated,” the defense minister said, referencing Khan and Hameed.
Senior military officers are rarely investigated or convicted in Pakistan, where the security establishment plays an outsized role in politics and national governance.
Hameed’s sentencing comes just days after Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir was appointed as Pakistan’s first chief of defense forces, marking a major restructuring of the military command.
Former prime minister Khan’s PTI party has distanced itself from Hameed’s conviction, referring to it as an “internal matter of the military institution.”
