Pakistan VPN Ban: How to Stay Safe Online and Bypass Restrictions

VPN usage in Pakistan has never been so high, the government will introduce a new policy that could potentially ban the use of “unregistered” services from today, November 30, 2024.

People in Pakistan have turned en masse to VPN services in 2024 as they look for a way to bypass growing online censorship. WhatsApp is just latest social media platform is currently blocked in the country. The blocking came two days later authorities restricted Bluesky amid a rise in popularity worldwide. X, Facebook and Instagram also cannot be accessed without a VPN.

I’ve spoken to some experts to understand what’s at stake and discover everything you may need to know to maintain internet freedom in the country.

How to avoid disruptions in Pakistan

Configure a manual VPN
Contact VPN support team
Rotate VPN providers

If you’re experiencing any issues downloading or using your VPN app over the next few days or weeks, Gytis Malinauskas, Head of Legal at Surfshark suggests configure a manual VPN connection. You’ll likely find information on how to do this on specific devices on your provider’s website like this one step-by-step guide from Surfshark. Remember that you still need a VPN account to do this.

If this does not work, contact your provider’s support team for help. “Our team is continuously working to provide our users with privacy and security solutions even in regions with challenging internet landscapes,” explains Malinauskas.

Chart showing increase in VPN registrations in Pakistan as of November 21, 2024. — Proton VPN has seen an increase in VPN registrations from Pakistan since the beginning of the year, with the most recent increase reaching +2860% over baseline on November 26, 2024. (Image credit: Proton)

Both Malinauskas and Simon Migliano, head of research at Top10VPN, also recommend rotates through multiple VPN providers.

Is free VPN a solution?

Potentially. I suggest you check out ours best free vpn page to get all the safest freebies – PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN is today’s top choice.

“It’s likely to be a bit of a lottery, at least initially,” Migliano told TechRadar. “Based on recent test runs of Pakistan’s new firewall, I expect VPN blocks to be much more widespread starting November 30. However, as we have seen in countries with a much more mature internet censorship regime, such as China and Iran, it’s almost impossible to block all VPNs, all the time.”

It is worth remembering that the legal grounds for using a VPN to bypass restrictions in Pakistan after November 30 are not yet clear. Commenting on this point, Migliano said: “Using an unregistered VPN in Pakistan after the deadline will be a risky proposition, depending on how strictly the authorities enforce the new rules.”

Alternatives to using a VPN in Pakistan

Tor browser
Proxy Services
SmartDNS service

VPNs may be the most widespread and easy-to-use bypass tools out there, but are by no means the only way to bypass internet blocks, bans, and other geo-restrictions.

Tor browser is probably the best VPN option you can use. Completely free to use, Tor is even considered a more secure option because it redirects your internet connections (and data in transit) through at least three encrypted layers. However, this enhanced encryption can significantly slow down your connection speed.

It is almost impossible to block all VPNs, all the time
Simon Migliano, Top10VPN

Proxy Services is another effective method of spoofing your IP address to trick your ISP (Internet Service Provider) into thinking you’re surfing from a completely different country within a couple of clicks.

The downside here is that, unlike VPNs, proxies don’t encrypt your internet connections, making them less secure overall. Since Pakistan’s firewall is expected to increase online surveillance as well, I recommend keeping this method as a last resort – especially now that the risk of circumventing government-imposed online restrictions is not clear.

You can also use one SmartDNS service to easily bypass geo-restrictions online. Again, these services do not offer the same level of protection as VPNs, meaning they do not encrypt your data. Even worse, a SmartDNS doesn’t even change your IP, but simply redirects information about your location instead.

Why does Pakistan restrict VPN usage?

The government first shared plans to regulate the use of VPNs back in August to curb VPN abuse. Authorities later are considered unregistered VPNs a “security risk” to Pakistan as they could be used to access “sensitive data”.

According to the new policy, it is still allowed to use a VPN for legitimate purposes such as banks, foreign authorities, companies, universities, IT companies, call centers and freelance professionals.

This is why the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has urged companies and freelancers to de-register their VPN services Deadline 30 November to avoid interference.

The the debate is still ongoinghowever, on whether or not commercial VPN use should also be blocked. As said, VPNs have often been a target during the year, with residents facing temporary connection issues starting in February (when ex-Twitter was first restricted).

Do you know?

VPN that encrypts a data stream — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

The best VPN apps are security programs that encrypt your internet connections to prevent snooping. They also spoof your real IP address location to increase anonymity and provide access to otherwise geo-restricted content.

Not just a new strict policy, VPN censorship is also expected to worsen as the government beefs up its filtering technology.

As It was reported by Al JazeeraPakistan’s government has implemented a China-style firewall, which was first tested in mid-July. This system can not only allow authorities to better monitor online traffic, but also control the use of popular apps more effectively.

Most notably, the new Pakistani firewall “has the ability to block VPNs,” a Defense Ministry official familiar with the new installations told Al Jazeera.

At the time of writing, it’s still early to determine the full impact all of this will have on people who use VPNs to continue accessing the free web. However, experts are concerned about this increase in Internet censorship.

“Trying to tighten online surveillance always raises concerns about digital privacy and freedom of expression,” Gytis Malinauskas, chief legal officer at Surfshark, told TechRadar. “This could also exacerbate the digital divide and inequality between those who have access to unfiltered information and those who cannot.”

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Pakistan VPN Ban: How to Stay Safe Online and Bypass Restrictions

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