ISLAMABAD: The chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Major General (r) Hafeezur Rehman, said this week the body would facilitate the “positive use” of virtual private network (VPN) services even as the government was determined to move ahead with plans to block unregistered VPNs by the end of this month.
The PTA says businesses and freelancers can continue to legally use VPNs by registering with the government, but unregistered VPNs will be blocked in Pakistan after Nov. 30. Authorities say the measures are meant to deter militants and other suspects who use VPNs to conceal their identities and spread “anti-state propaganda” and promote “blasphemous” or other illegal content online.
Digital rights activists say the move is part of government attempts to block vital tools that allow users to bypass restrictions amid a wave of digital crackdowns, particularly since the use of VPNs has sharply risen in Pakistan since February this year when the government banned X.
The federal government is also moving to implement a nationwide firewall to block malicious content, protect government networks from attacks, and allow the government to identify IP addresses associated with what it calls “anti-state propaganda” and terror attacks. Internet speeds have dropped by up to 30-40 percent over the past few months due to the firewall, according to the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP).
“We don’t say to block the VPNs but to regulate the VPNs,” the PTA chairman said on Thursday during an address at Youth Safety Summit Pakistan, jointly organized by TikTok and the PTA.
“If somebody needs VPN for the business purposes, for some positive use, nobody will stop him, let me reassure you, we will facilitate him.”
Rehman said the authority issued its first letter for VPN registration back in December 2010.
“It is now 15 years,” he said. “We have been pushing people to please register with us so that their business is not disturbed.”
The PTA chairman urged TikTok and other social media platforms to use artificial intelligence tools to “block anti-state and blasphemous content.”
“This summit marks a significant step in our mission to secure a safe and inclusive digital environment for Pakistan’s youth,” Rehman said. “PTA remains steadfast in its efforts to implement innovative measures that protect children online and promote a digitally responsible society.”
Emir Gelen, the director of government relations and public policy at TikTok for the Middle East, Turkiye, Africa, Pakistan and South Asia, reaffirmed TikTok’s commitment to online safety at the summit.
“At TikTok, we are committed to ensuring the online safety and well-being of our users, particularly children and youth,” he said.
“We believe that this summit marks an important step toward creating a safer online environment in Pakistan … We’re dedicated to promoting digital literacy and online safety through our initiatives, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the PTA to achieve this goal.”
In August, the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) warned that frequent Internet disruptions and low speeds caused by poor implementation of the national firewall had led many multinational companies to consider relocating their offices out of Pakistan, with some having “already done so.” The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), the country’s top representative body for the IT sector, warned this week Internet slowdowns and the restriction of VPN services could lead to financial losses and closures and increase operational costs for the industry by up to $150 million annually.
Pakistan’s IT and ITeS exports have been growing at an average of 30 percent per year, and are on the way to achieve over $15 billion in the next 5 years, according to industry data, provided the government ensures continuity in export, fiscal, financial, SME, infrastructure and IT policies.
“If the VPNs are blocked, most of IT companies, Call Centers, BPO [business process outsourcing] organizations of Pakistan will lose all the major Fortune 500 clients, as well as others – as data protection and cybersecurity are of paramount importance to our clients, and connecting to client systems through VPN is a global norm and standard, and is a basic requirement and expectation of clients around the world,” P@SHA Chairman Sajjad Mustafa Syed said in a statement released on Tuesday.
“Additionally, no international company of any size tolerates any intrusion into their security protocols by any private or public institution.”
Pakistan telecom regulator affirms support for ‘positive use’ as VPN ban deadline looms
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Pakistan telecom regulator affirms support for ‘positive use’ as VPN ban deadline looms
- PTA says businesses can use VPNs by registering with government but unregistered VPNs will be blocked after Nov. 30
- Rights activists say government wants to block vital tools that allow users to bypass restrictions amid digital crackdown
Pakistan PM launches tax authority’s performance system amid IMF reform push
- The international lender wants digitization of FBR along with tax base expansion in Pakistan
- The PM was briefed about FBR’s data-driven decision-making to ensure greater efficiency
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday launched a performance management system for Pakistan’s tax authority, urging officials to enhance efficiency and boost revenue collection to help reduce the country’s reliance on external debt, state media reported.
The move is part of broader reforms tied to Pakistan’s $7 billion loan program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which include overhauling the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) through greater digitization, institutional accountability and tax base expansion.
The FBR, long criticized for inefficiency and underperformance, plays a central role in Pakistan’s fiscal framework and is under pressure to deliver sustained growth in tax revenues.
“If we want to move away from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), we must work hard to increase our revenues,” Sharif said at the launch event, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
He also described it as a long journey, adding more work was required to plug the loopholes in the system.
The newly launched performance system introduces evaluations of FBR officers based on defined metrics. Sharif said similar models would be introduced across other state institutions to promote a culture of accountability.
During the visit, officials also briefed the prime minister on separate reforms underway at the FBR, including the development of a data-driven decision-making framework. That system will pull information from entities like the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) and banking institutions to track payments and asset acquisitions, as part of efforts to align the tax regime with international standards.
Authorities said over 35 additional companies had been added to the tax net as part of ongoing digitization efforts. Tax return forms have also been simplified, and preparations are underway for the nationwide rollout of a digital invoicing system.
Sharif acknowledged a 27 percent growth in FBR revenue over the past year but said more progress was needed to steer Pakistan out of its debt crisis and ensure fiscal stability.
Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio remains among the lowest in the region, limiting the government’s ability to fund public services and increasing dependence on borrowing.
Strengthening the FBR is seen as critical to reducing the budget deficit and restoring investor confidence.
The prime minister also visited FBR’s newly established delivery unit, praising the officers as a “national asset” and expressing hope that the ongoing reforms would lead to a more transparent and effective tax administration.
Pakistani forces kill four militants in Swat operation — military
- ISPR says weapons and ammunition were recovered from the site where the militants were killed
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praises the operation, calls it reflective of military’s professionalism
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces killed four militants in an intelligence-based operation in the country’s northwestern Swat district on Friday, informed the military, as Islamabad intensifies its crackdown on insurgents staging violent attacks on civilians and uniformed personnel.
Pakistan refers to fighters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of various armed groups, as khawarij, a term rooted in Islamic history that is used for an extremist sect that rebelled against authority and declared other Muslims to be apostates.
“On 18 April 2025, Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies conducted a joint intelligence based operation in Swat District on reported presence of Khawarij,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
“During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged khawarij location, resultantly four khawarij were sent to hell,” it added.
The ISPR said weapons and ammunition were recovered from the site and described the slain militants as being involved in a number of militant activities in the area.
It added a “sanitization operation” was underway to clear the area of any remaining fighters.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the operation, calling the forces’ efforts reflective of their professionalism and vowing to continue the fight against militancy.
“We will continue this war until terrorism is completely eradicated from the country,” Sharif said in a statement released by his office, adding that the entire nation stood firmly behind the armed forces.
Swat, once a Taliban stronghold, has witnessed a renewed presence of militants in some of its areas.
The TTP, which is separate from the Afghan Taliban but shares ideological roots, has stepped up attacks since the collapse of a ceasefire agreement with the Pakistani government in late 2022.
Minister says Pakistani journalists who visited Israel may face travel ban, lose citizenship
- Talal Chaudhry says government trying to determine how the journalists managed to travel to Israel
- Pakistan does not recognize Israel and its passport is valid for all countries except for the Jewish state
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said this week the government could impose travel restrictions and review the citizenship of Pakistani journalists who reportedly visited Israel in March amid the ongoing devastation and killings of Palestinian women and children in Gaza.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has consistently advocated for an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital. The Pakistani passport explicitly states it is valid for all countries except Israel.
Last month, Israel Hayom, a Hebrew-language newspaper, reported that a 10-member Pakistani delegation comprising journalists, intellectuals and influencers visited Israel for a week. Subsequently, The Jerusalem Post noted that the delegation traveled to Israel to learn about the Holocaust and the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas.
“Our [Pakistani] passport, which is issued by the Ministry of Interior, does not allow travel to Israel,” Chaudhry said in an interview with Independent Urdu. “They certainly could not have gone there on this passport.”
The minister emphasized the government would determine how these journalists managed to travel to Israel.
“If our document has been misused, or if they misused it up to a certain point and then proceeded without any documents, then there are several criminal proceedings, including a potential travel ban, that could be initiated against such individuals,” he continued. “Even their citizenship could come into question.”
Chaudhry added the foreign and interior ministries were in contact regarding this matter.
The Pakistani foreign office said last month the country’s passport explicitly states it is “not valid for travel to Israel.”
“Therefore, no such visit is possible under existing regulations,” it maintained in a statement responding to media queries.
This is not the first time such an incident has been reported in the media. In 2022, a delegation of Pakistani journalists visited Israel under the banner of the Sharaka organization, which says it aims to promote dialogue and coexistence in the Middle East.
The visit led to significant controversy in Pakistan, with one of the journalists being dismissed from his position at the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) following the trip.
Pakistan says 907,391 Afghans deported as Kabul seeks ‘dignified repatriation’
- Move is part of larger repatriation drive against illegal foreigners that began in November 2023 following a rise in militant attacks
- Afghanistan proposes high-level committee of officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan and international bodies to coordinate refugee issues
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, said on Friday 907,391 Afghans had been deported since the government launched an expulsion drive against illegal foreigners in 2023, as Kabul called for the “dignified repatriation” of its citizens.
Islamabad launched the deportation campaign in November 2023, asking all foreigners without legal documentation to leave the country. Earlier this year, it launched the second phase of deportations, setting a deadline of Mar. 31 for people with Afghan Citizen Cards (ACCs) — which since 2017 have granted temporary legal status to Afghans — to leave the country or face being deported.
According to UN data, Pakistan has hosted more than 2.8 million Afghan nationals who crossed the border in a desperate attempt to escape decades of war and instability in their home country. Around 1.3 million are formally registered as refugees and hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, which grant them legal protection. Another 800,000 Afghans possess ACCs, a separate identity document issued by the Pakistani government that recognizes them as Afghan nationals without conferring refugee status.
“Pakistan has sent back 907,351 people in a dignified manner to Afghanistan as of today, this includes both the first and second phases,” Chaudhry told reporters in Islamabad.
“In the second phase, as of today, 84,871 people have been sent back, of which only 25,320 were ACC holders, and the rest were all illegal, who did not have registration of any kind.”
He said those awaiting deportation were being accommodated with Hajj pilgrims at the Hajj Complex in Islamabad and were being treated “fairly.”
Separately, an Afghan delegation led by Industry and Commerce Minister AlHajj Nooruddin Azizi and comprising Deputy Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Sheikh Kaleemur Rahman Fani met Chaudhry to discuss the repatriation of Afghan refugees.
“In addition to remarks on trade and transit, H.E. Nooruddin Azizi emphasized that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan seeks a dignified process for the repatriation of Afghan refugees,” the Afghan Embassy in Pakistan said on X.
The Afghan refugees minister proposed the formation of a high-level committee comprising officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan and relevant international organizations to address “refugee-related issues in a coordinated manner.”
The Afghan embassy quoted Chaudhry as saying Afghan refugees were “still considered guests in Pakistan” and efforts were underway to repatriate them in a “respectful” manner.
“The meeting concluded with an emphasis on conducting in-depth discussions on refugee matters during upcoming high-level engagements between the two countries,” it added.
Afghanistan has called for the peaceful and coordinated repatriation of its citizens amid reports of arrests and harassment during Pakistan’s mass expulsion drive. Islamabad denies the accusations and has urged Kabul to facilitate the reintegration of its citizens.
Pakistan’s deportation policy in 2023 followed a rise in militant attacks, particularly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. Islamabad has in the past blamed militant attacks and other crimes on Afghan citizens, who form the largest portion of migrants in the country.
The government says militants, especially from the Pakistani Taliban also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are using safe havens in Afghanistan and links with Afghans residing in Pakistan to launch cross-border attacks. The ruling administration in Kabul has rejected the accusations.
Over 170 arrested for attacks on Pakistan KFC outlets in Gaza war protests
- There have been at least 11 mob attacks on outlets of US fast-food chain KFC in different cities
- KFC has for years borne the brunt of anti-American sentiment with protests and attacks
KARACHI/LAHORE: Police have arrested scores of people in Pakistan in recent weeks after more than 10 mob attacks on outlets of US fast-food chain KFC, sparked by anti-United States sentiment and opposition to its ally Israel’s war in Gaza, officials said.
Police in major cities in the Islamic nation, including the southern port city of Karachi, the eastern city of Lahore and the capital Islamabad, confirmed at least 11 incidents in which KFC outlets were attacked by protesters armed with sticks and vandalized. At least 178 people were arrested, the officials said this week.
KFC and its parent Yum Brands, both US-based, did not respond to requests for comment.
A police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said one KFC employee was shot and killed this week in a store on the outskirts of Lahore by unknown gunmen. The official added there was no protest at the time and they were investigating whether the killing was motivated by political sentiment or some other reason.
In Lahore, police said they were ramping up security at 27 KFC outlets around the city after two attacks took place and five others were prevented.
“We are investigating the role of different individuals and groups in these attacks,” said Faisal Kamran, a senior Lahore police officer, adding that 11 people, including a member of the Islamist religious party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), were arrested in the city. He added the protests were not officially organized by TLP.
TLP spokesman Rehan Mohsin Khan said the group “has urged Muslims to boycott Israeli products, but it has not given any call for protest outside KFC.”
“If any other person claiming to be a TLP leader or activist has indulged in such activity, it should be taken as his personal act which has nothing to do with the party’s policy,” said Khan.
KFC has long been viewed as a symbol of the United States in Pakistan and borne the brunt of anti-American sentiment in recent decades with protests and attacks.
Western brands have been hit by boycotts and other forms of protests in Pakistan and other Muslim-majority countries in recent months over Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The latest war was triggered by the Palestinian group Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, more than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to local health authorities.
Yum Brands has said one of its other brands, Pizza Hut, has faced a protracted impact from boycotts related to Israel’s war in Gaza.
In Pakistan, local brands have made inroads into its fast-growing cola market as some consumers avoid US brands. In 2023, Coca-Cola’s market share in the consumer sector in Pakistan fell to 5.7 percent from 6.3 percent in 2022, according to GlobalData, while PepsiCo’s fell to 10.4 percent from 10.8 percent.
Earlier this month, religious clerics in Pakistan called for a boycott of any products or brands that they say support Israel or the American economy, but asked people to stay peaceful and not destroy property.
