ISLAMABAD: People on social media are complaining about issues accessing Virtual private network VPNs, with many wondering if the Pakistani government has imposed a ban on them.
VPNs became common in Pakistan after ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter) was unofficially banned following the general elections this year, prompting people to download VPNs to access the site.
An Islamabad economist, while talking to Azaad English, said that she was using Warp by Cloudflare which stopped working around 4pm today.
“Since then, have also tried Super VPN, Nord, turbo. None are working,” she added.
The complaints regarding VPN issues are coming from social media users using the free versions. Sarah Haider, a Karachi-based journalist, told Azaad English that she uses a paid VPN and is not facing any problems.
With many people comparing that VPN is not connecting, there has been no official comment from any authorities regarding a VPN ban in Pakistan.
X has been blocked in Pakistan since February 17. In April, the Interior Ministry told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that the social media platform was banned in the country over its “failure to adhere to the lawful directives of the government of Pakistan.
Earlier in June, senior journalist Umar Cheema, while talking to Azaad Digital, stated that the government’s decision to firewall VPNs was aimed at detecting those not registered with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
More to follow
