According to Rehman, once the new policy is enforced, only whitelisted VPNs will be permitted to operate in Pakistan, with all others being blocked. However, experts warn that this regulation could negatively impact the IT sector in Pakistan, which relies heavily on VPNs for various purposes. Committee chairman Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hasan raised this concern during the meeting, and Rehman conceded that entirely blocking VPNs could “lead to the collapse of several IT businesses that operate on VPNs.”
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The use of VPNs in Pakistan has surged following the blocking of platform X in February. A report by VPN provider Surfshark indicated a 300 to 400 percent increase in new user acquisition rates in Pakistan after the X ban.
Analysts have questioned the effectiveness of the X ban, noting that many users continued to access the platform via VPNs. However, Rehman informed the Senate committee that the number of X users in the country has dropped by 70%. DataReportal statistics support this, showing that there were around 4.5 million X users in Pakistan in early 2024, a relatively low figure compared to other social platforms.
It is worth noting that previous government attempts to regulate VPNs by making registration mandatory have not been particularly successful. Therefore, the effectiveness of PTA’s new strategy remains to be seen.
