Bilal Ahmed 
pakistan plans to prevent vpn workaround to its ban on musks x
Pakistan plans to review the virtual private networks available in the country to prevent users from skirting its ban on accessing Elon Musk’s X social platform. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority will conduct a screening process and whitelist the VPNs it considers compliant, the board’s chairman Hafeez ur Rehman said speaking to a parliament committee. Since the Pak government’s ban on X since February 2024, on national security grounds, its usage in Pak has plunged to 70%, but many people have turned to VPN to spoof their location and continue using the service.
Although it is officially banned, X is still one of the main platforms that the Pakistani government uses to release statements and circulate information. Pakistan blocked access to X ahead of the national elections this year in a move that has been criticised by the rights group as an act to limit the free flow of information.
The elections were followed by allegations of vote rigging and also till now the authorities tend to stop or limit mobile services nationwide stating security reasons.
Pakistan is the 5th largest nation in terms of population growth and of them 57% have access to the internet, according to official government data. PM Shehbaz Sharif’s Government had also launched a crackdown on users who propagate political or religious indifference and comment against the Pak military on social media.
