ISLAMABAD: The federal government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tabled the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2024 in the lower house of parliament today, Monday, with the aim to create a digital identity for citizens and centralize social, economic, and governance data.

The bill comes amid what activists and critics describe as a widespread digital clampdown in Pakistan. The government has been cracking down on VPN use for weeks, with the PTA announcing that businesses and freelancers would be able to legally use VPNs by registering with the government, but unregistered VPNs would be blocked in Pakistan after Nov. 30. The deadline was later withdrawn, and a new one has not been announced.

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. The 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.

Monday’s National Assembly agenda said the new Digital Nation Pakistan Bill would “provide for the transformation of Pakistan into a digital nation, enabling a digital society, digital economy and digital governance.”

Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported that the bill aims to give a digital identity for every citizen. 

“It would include data about an individual’s health, assets and other social indicators,” the top Pakistani English-language newspaper said.

“The bill’s objective, as stated by officials, was to improve access to departments managing ID cards, land records, birth certificates and health records.”

Earlier on Monday, while addressing a ceremony in Islamabad, Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunications, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, said the government was establishing a National Digital Commission (NDC) to “enable the transformation of Pakistan into a digital nation, fostering a digital society, digital economy and digital governance.”

“The Commission, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, will include all provincial chief ministers and representatives from key regulatory bodies such as the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) and PTA,” she said while addressing the National Broadband Network (NBN) Forum 2024 Gigabit for All.

Khawaja also said the government planned to establish a new digital authority, which would develop a comprehensive national framework and master plan for digitalization, focusing on three key areas: economy, governance, and society.  

To address Internet speed issues, the government would introduce new 4G and 5G spectrums, which would help resolve a major challenge faced by freelancers and IT professionals, she said.

According to the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP), Internet speeds have dropped by 30-40 percent in recent months. 

“5G spectrum auctions will be made in April next year,” Khawaja added, “which will significantly improve Internet services in the country.”

Digital rights activists say the Internet slowdowns and the government’s move against VPNs are attempts to block vital tools that allow users to bypass restrictions. The use of VPNs has sharply risen in Pakistan since February this year when the government banned X soon after allegations of rigging in general elections surfaced. The election commission denies them. 

ISLAMABAD: The Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said on Monday no Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) had been blocked in the country and neither had a deadline been finalized for such an action, adding that over 31,000 VPNs had officially registered with the authority in recent weeks. 

The government has been cracking down on VPN use for weeks, with the PTA announcing that businesses and freelancers would be able to legally use VPNs by registering with the government, but unregistered VPNs would be blocked in Pakistan after Nov. 30. The deadline was later withdrawn, and a new one has not been announced. 

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. The 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.

Digital rights activists, however, say the government’s move against VPNs is an attempt to block vital tools that allow users to bypass restrictions amid a wave of digital crackdowns. The use of VPNs has sharply risen in Pakistan since February this year when the government banned X soon after allegations of rigging in general elections surfaced. The election commission denies them. 

“No VPN has been blocked in the country so far,” PTA Chairman Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman told Arab News on the sidelines of an event marking the launch of the authority’s annual performance report.

“No deadline has been set so far to block VPNs and we are working with the government to develop a solution that minimizes inconvenience to the public but nothing has been finalized yet,” he added, saying over 31,000 VPNs had been registered with the authority so far.

Rehman said the PTA had set up a dedicated help desk for IT companies and freelancers to facilitate VPN registration and other matters. All registration applications were processed within eight hours. 

“When Internet shutdowns occur, they can approach us to get whitelisted, ensuring that their connectivity remains unaffected,” Rehman said. 

“Once whitelisted, their Internet will continue to function even during government-imposed closures due to security threats or other reasons. This helps ensure that any closure of Internet due to national security measures do not disrupt their business operations as their Internet will keep working.”

Regarding frequent Internet closures, the official said the question should be addressed to the government as the PTA was implementing official orders. 

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 last month 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, P@SHA says.