ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced that it will not proceed with blocking Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) on the previously set deadline of November 30 for discontinuing all non-registered VPNs.
The government has decided to extend the deadline for VPN registration, although no new date has been provided as of now.
Earlier, the Ministry of Interior had set November 30, 2024 as the cutoff for shutting down unregistered VPNs. Without VPNs, access to platforms like X (formerly Twitter) has become nearly impossible in Pakistan.
In recent days, disruptions have also been reported in the use of WhatsApp in certain regions of the country, with users requiring VPNs to access the messaging service.
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So far, the PTA has successfully registered over 27,000 VPNs. While the PTA did not release an official statement on the matter late Saturday, Chairman Maj Gen (retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman spoke to various media outlets, confirming that the authority would not block VPNs as the government has decided to extend the original deadline.
Earlier, during a meeting with the Senate Standing Committee on IT, the PTA Chairman had indicated that non-registered VPNs would be deactivated after November 30, 2024.
