The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced it will not block Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as initially planned for the November 30 deadline. Instead, the government has decided to grant an extension for VPN registration, although a new deadline has not yet been set.
Earlier, the Ministry of Interior had instructed that all unregistered VPNs be shut down by November 30. Using VPNs has been essential for accessing platforms like X (formerly Twitter) in Pakistan, and disruptions in services like WhatsApp have also been reported in certain areas without VPNs.
As of now, the PTA has registered over 27,000 VPNs. Despite the lack of an official statement from the PTA on Saturday night, PTA Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman confirmed to media outlets that the authority will not block VPNs and that the government’s decision to extend the registration deadline has been made. Last week, the PTA chairman had previously informed the Senate Standing Committee on IT that non-registered VPNs would stop working after November 30.