There are reports of “restrictions, throttling” in VPN access across the country.

On Sunday, several Pakistani internet users complained of having “restricted access” to virtual private networks (VPNs) in addition to having trouble connecting to the internet.

Globally, a lot of people use virtual private networks (VPNs) to access content that might be prohibited or unavailable to internet users in their native country. VPNs are utilised by Pakistanis to gain access to X and other prohibited websites.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) started cracking down on VPN use in August with the goal of blocking access to the social media site X, which was previously prohibited.

In September, Attaullah Tarar, the minister of information, stated that X was banned for national security reasons rather than to restrict free speech. He went on to say that the platform was being used by “terrorists and separatists” against Pakistan, which was unacceptable.

The PTA emphasised that VPNs in the nation were not being blocked and refuted rumours in the same month.

On Sunday, however, a number of X users in Pakistan went to the platform to complain that access was being limited and VPNs were being slowed down.

Users of VPN services Tunnelbear and VPN Unlimited reported disruptions, with almost all of the issues pertaining to connecting to a virtual private network, according to the outage tracking website Downdetector.

Users of VPN Unlimited continued to report issues, according to a graph on the website, with a peak of ten reports made around 6:15 p.m. Likewise, reports were filed by Tunnelbear users as late as 7:29 p.m.

Regarding the disruptions, Dawn.com has contacted the PTA for comment.

In order to find VPN providers that are still available in Pakistan, some X users turned to posting listings.

A few employees at Dawn.com also encountered problems connecting to VPN providers. But for some, it worked.

Farieha Aziz, a digital rights advocate, told Dawn.com that she had been having “very patchy internet” and was having trouble connecting to the VPNs Cloudflare and Orbot.

“It’s totally arbitrary, disrupting everyday life and work, and no one in the PTA and government has yet to give a straight answer — other than partially on VPNs, which they have stated they are in the process of registering,” she said in reference to the throttling.

Usama Khilji, a digital rights activist, told Dawn.com that he “checked with people” who acknowledged that they are having problems with their VPN services.

According to Khilji, “this is consistent with the state’s intentions to crack down on VPNs and impose stringent censorship and surveillance over citizens.” “Businesses will suffer from this, particularly those in the financial and technology sectors.”