ISLAMABAD (WS News) – The Ministry of Interior has formally asked the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to take action against the use of illegal Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), citing security and ethical concerns.
The ministry stated that VPNs were being exploited by terrorists to facilitate bank transactions and immoral activities. The letter further noted that VPNs allowed users to conceal their identities and communications, posing significant challenges to law-enforcement agencies.
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Besides, the ministry highlighted the misuse of VPNs for accessing and disseminating vulgar and blasphemous content, stressing the urgent need for regulatory measures to restrain such activities.
The letter urged the PTA to implement a crackdown on unauthorised VPN services to address these concerns effectively.
RELIGIOUS MINISTRY CONCERNS
Earlier, the Ministry of Religious Affairs directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to remove harmful and objectionable content on social media platforms.
In a letter to the PTA, the ministry highlighted that this content remained easily accessible online and requested immediate action to remove it.
“Despite the proactive measures taken by PTA to block such content in line with Supreme Court orders (Jan 2016, May 2016 and March 2018), it has been observed that pornographic and blasphemous material is still readily accessible on multiple online platforms.
“It is important to note that although PTA has made significant efforts to curb this issue by blocking the accessibility of such content; however, said material is still online accessible that violates our cultural and religious values.”
