ISLAMABAD – Pakistani authorities have begun blocking unregistered and illegal VPN services in a new effort to enhance internet security.
This move is part of a broader crackdown on illegal VPNs aimed at preventing citizens from gaining unauthorized access to prohibited content. While the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has not provided further details on the matter, internet users across the country are reporting disruptions in accessing popular VPN services.
VPNs Ban in Pakistan
Several VPNs, including Tesla Proxy Pro, Super VPN, Okla Speed Test, and NordVPN, have been blocked in Pakistan. Users are receiving messages indicating that these services are unavailable in the region, and attempts to connect to different servers have not resolved the issue.
Despite the ban, some VPNs remain operational in Pakistan, such as Tor VPN, Proton VPN, Cloudflare Warp, Panda VPN, and Hotspot Shield.
According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), over 1,400 companies have registered VPNs so far, with efforts underway to further advance the whitelisting process. The PTA’s initiative to block unregistered VPNs is part of broader efforts to enforce internet regulations and ensure compliance with local laws.
Access to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) was blocked in Pakistan amid allegations of ballot fraud during the recent elections, leading many users to turn to VPNs to bypass the restrictions.
As a result, the demand for VPN usage surged, with reports showing a 131% increase in usage on the first day of the outage, and continued high demand in the days that followed.
