The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has condemned the blocking of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), labeling it a “blatant attempt” to suppress freedom of expression and access to information. PTI’s Central Information Secretary, Sheikh Waqas Akram, was vocal in his disapproval, describing the government’s actions as “unacceptable” and “intolerable.”
Sheikh Waqas criticized the government’s focus on controlling social media rather than addressing the threat of terrorism. He argued that the administration was deploying significant resources to suppress social media, effectively keeping the populace uninformed about governmental policies and missteps. He stated that authorities were using all their energy to “muzzle social media” to keep citizens “in the dark about their policies and misdeeds.”
He denounced the ongoing ban on X and urged the government to utilize the firewall system against terrorist threats instead of stifling social media users. He pressed the government to shift its focus from targeting social media and political dissenters to combating the daily terrorist attacks on civilians.
The issue came to light on November 10 when Downdetector, an outage tracking website, noted a surge in reports from users facing difficulties with popular VPN services like VPN Unlimited and Tunnelbear. Data from Downdetector showed that VPN Unlimited encountered a peak of 10 outage incidents by 6:15 PM, while issues with Tunnelbear extended until around 7:29 PM. The widespread nature of these disruptions highlighted the reliance of many Pakistani internet users on VPNs, especially given ongoing restrictions on platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter).
In response, the PTA maintained that the disruptions were caused by a technical issue, not deliberate blocking. However, the authority reiterated its call for all commercial VPN users to register their services. This move, according to the PTA, is necessary to prevent VPNs from being used for activities that could threaten national security, aligning with the government’s broader strategy of internet regulation.
