The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has requested the Interior Ministry to extend the deadline for registering virtual private networks (VPNs) beyond the current date of November 30, 2024. This request comes in response to concerns raised by stakeholders regarding the complexity of the registration process.

Two weeks ago, the Ministry of Interior mandated the registration of all unregistered VPNs to ensure compliance with national regulations. In light of the feedback received, the PTA is actively engaging with stakeholders to streamline the registration process and address their concerns.

In a statement issued on November 15, the Interior Division highlighted the misuse of VPNs, noting that they are being used by terrorists to obscure communications and to access pornographic and blasphemous content discreetly. The statement emphasized that Pakistan is among the leading countries in terms of accessing pornographic sites via VPNs, which has prompted the call for a complete blockage of unregulated private networks.

Given these issues, the government is considering extending the registration deadline by an additional two weeks before issuing blockage notices to non-compliant users.