ISLAMABAD: The chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Major General (r) Hafeezur Rehman, said this week the body would facilitate the “positive use” of virtual private network (VPN) services even as the government was determined to move ahead with plans to block unregistered VPNs by the end of this month.
The PTA says businesses and freelancers can continue to legally use VPNs by registering with the government, but unregistered VPNs will be blocked in Pakistan after Nov. 30. Authorities say the measures are meant to deter militants and other suspects who use VPNs to conceal their identities and spread “anti-state propaganda” and promote “blasphemous” or other illegal content online.
Digital rights activists say the move is part of government attempts to block vital tools that allow users to bypass restrictions amid a wave of digital crackdowns, particularly since the use of VPNs has sharply risen in Pakistan since February this year when the government banned X.
The federal government is also moving to implement a nationwide firewall to block malicious content, protect government networks from attacks, and allow the government to identify IP addresses associated with what it calls “anti-state propaganda” and terror attacks. Internet speeds have dropped by up to 30-40 percent over the past few months due to the firewall, according to the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP).
“We don’t say to block the VPNs but to regulate the VPNs,” the PTA chairman said on Thursday during an address at Youth Safety Summit Pakistan, jointly organized by TikTok and the PTA.
“If somebody needs VPN for the business purposes, for some positive use, nobody will stop him, let me reassure you, we will facilitate him.”
Rehman said the authority issued its first letter for VPN registration back in December 2010.
“It is now 15 years,” he said. “We have been pushing people to please register with us so that their business is not disturbed.”
The PTA chairman urged TikTok and other social media platforms to use artificial intelligence tools to “block anti-state and blasphemous content.”
“This summit marks a significant step in our mission to secure a safe and inclusive digital environment for Pakistan’s youth,” Rehman said. “PTA remains steadfast in its efforts to implement innovative measures that protect children online and promote a digitally responsible society.”
Emir Gelen, the director of government relations and public policy at TikTok for the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa, Pakistan and South Asia, reaffirmed TikTok’s commitment to online safety at the summit.
“At TikTok, we are committed to ensuring the online safety and well-being of our users, particularly children and youth,” he said.
“We believe that this summit marks an important step toward creating a safer online environment in Pakistan … We’re dedicated to promoting digital literacy and online safety through our initiatives, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the PTA to achieve this goal.”
In August, the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) warned that frequent Internet disruptions and low speeds caused by poor implementation of the national firewall had led many multinational companies to consider relocating their offices out of Pakistan, with some having “already done so.” The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), the country’s top representative body for the IT sector, warned this week Internet slowdowns and the restriction of VPN services could lead to financial losses and closures and increase operational costs for the industry by up to $150 million annually.
Pakistan’s IT and ITeS exports have been growing at an average of 30 percent per year, and are on the way to achieve over $15 billion in the next 5 years, according to industry data, provided the government ensures continuity in export, fiscal, financial, SME, infrastructure and IT policies.
“If the VPNs are blocked, most of IT companies, Call Centers, BPO [business process outsourcing] organizations of Pakistan will lose all the major Fortune 500 clients, as well as others – as data protection and cybersecurity are of paramount importance to our clients, and connecting to client systems through VPN is a global norm and standard, and is a basic requirement and expectation of clients around the world,” P@SHA Chairman Sajjad Mustafa Syed said in a statement released on Tuesday.
“Additionally, no international company of any size tolerates any intrusion into their security protocols by any private or public institution.”
Pakistan telecom regulator affirms support for ‘positive use’ as VPN ban deadline looms
https://arab.news/ck6y5
Pakistan telecom regulator affirms support for ‘positive use’ as VPN ban deadline looms
- PTA says businesses can use VPNs by registering with government but unregistered VPNs will be blocked after Nov. 30
- Rights activists say government wants to block vital tools that allow users to bypass restrictions amid digital crackdown
Pakistan to issue four RFPs for Panda, dollar bond sale
- Government may seek to raise up to $1.25 billion from global markets
- Authorities also eye FX-linked instruments to tap local dollar liquidity
KARACHI: Pakistan’s government plans to issue four Requests for Proposal (RFPs) to major international investment banks as it moves toward launching Panda and dollar bonds, seeking to raise up to $1.25 billion from global markets, a senior finance ministry official told Arab News this week.
RFPs are formal invitations sent to banks asking them to submit bids to underwrite bond issuances, a step that signals the government is entering the execution phase of its borrowing plans. Panda bonds are yuan-denominated bonds issued in China, while dollar bonds are sold in international markets to global investors.
Pakistan has recently boosted the State Bank of Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves to around $16 billion, supported by a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program but continues to seek diversified sources of foreign funding. The country has also relied on financial support from friendly nations such as China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to manage balance-of-payments pressures.
The plans for the RFPs were discussed at a meeting of the finance ministry’s Debt Management Office (DMO) with financial market participants held on Jan. 12 at the Pakistan Stock Exchange, the finance ministry official said, requesting anonymity.
“The Debt Management Office of ministry of finance held a meeting... to communicate their strategy and debt management plan through various new initiatives under pipeline,” the official said.
Providing details of the DMO meeting, Shankar Talreja, head of research at Topline Securities Ltd., who attended the session, said the government was now moving decisively toward global bond issuance.
“The government is expected to issue four RFPs to engage big international investment banks like JP Morgans etc., who will submit their proposals on underwriting the bonds Pakistan is seeking to float,” Talreja told Arab News.
“They are rolling out both the Chinese and US bonds simultaneously,” he said, adding that the government may target raising about $1.25 billion.
Talreja said the IMF, in its latest country report, had asked Pakistan to raise $250 million through Panda bonds this year and another $1 billion through dollar bonds next year.
“That $1 billion can be a mix of both or only dollar bonds,” he said.
Alongside external borrowing, the government is also considering issuing foreign exchange-linked notes or bonds aimed at attracting dollar liquidity already held within Pakistan.
Talreja said the DMO was working on exchange rate-linked instruments for local investors, particularly individuals holding dollars in bank accounts or seeking returns linked to the US dollar.
According to State Bank of Pakistan data, commercial banks held $5.14 billion in foreign currency deposits as of January 2.
“The government borrows huge amount of dollars at as much as 8-7 or 10 percent markup rates from its foreign lenders. Why not to borrow from local investors at a reasonable rate of return,” Talreja said.
“The $5.1 billion Pakistan’s commercial banks are currently holding in deposits can be easily targeted,” he added.
Pakistan also faces near-term external repayment obligations, including a $1.3 billion Eurobond maturing on April 8.
The country repaid $500 million of Eurobond debt in September 2025 without market disruption, which Talreja described as a “nonevent” due to sufficient financial resources, citing DMO officials.
Separately, Talreja said in a note to clients that yields on 10-year Chinese government bonds were currently below 2 percent, while US bonds of similar maturity were yielding between 4 and 4.5 percent.
“The government expects rate on new issuance well within existing secondary market yields of Pakistan bonds, while Panda bonds are likely to be further competitive,” he said.
To attract global investors, Pakistani authorities have conducted roadshows and finalized a list of more than 100 international investors as part of their outreach efforts, he added.
