Internet users in Pakistan experienced disruptions on WhatsApp on Saturday, primarily affecting the sharing of media files. Reports from Downdetector indicated that 67% of users faced issues sending messages, with the majority of outages concentrated in Punjab, followed by sporadic disruptions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi in Sindh. The IT industry and internet service providers acknowledged the problem but were unable to determine its cause. Some users speculated that the disruptions were linked to the PTI’s November 24 protest in Islamabad, though no official explanation was provided. Similar outages during political events have previously been attributed to technical issues or submarine cable damage. On X (formerly Twitter), PTI supporters called for the availability of SpaceX’s Starlink service in Pakistan to mitigate such issues in the future. PTI has also appealed to Elon Musk via its website to provide starlink internet services in Pakistan.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) plans to enforce a new VPN policy starting November 30, limiting VPN registration to companies and freelancers using the service for commercial purposes. Ordinary users seeking VPNs for privacy or accessing restricted content will be excluded. This policy follows a directive from the Ministry of Interior citing security concerns, including terrorism and access to restricted content. Companies must register their VPNs by November 30 to avoid disruption. Critics, including Simon Migliano from Top10VPN, argue that the policy resembles China's restrictive model, allowing only government-approved VPNs and blocking most consumer VPNs due to static IP requirements. A recent nationwide VPN disruption on November 10, which PTA attributed to a "technical glitch," may have involved deep packet inspection to identify VPN traffic. Observers suggest the policy reflects the government’s intent to strictly regulate VPN use while recognizing its importance for Pakistan's economy.

Amid the looming "do-or-die" protest announced by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on November 24, the federal government has decided to partially suspend internet and mobile services in Islamabad and other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, sources told Geo News on Thursday. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority will activate its firewall for mobile internet service from November 22 and the aforesaid services will be suspended from November 23, added the sources. These steps have been taken to prevent users from downloading media from social media platforms.

On 21st November 2024, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) hosted a consultation session in Islamabad to discuss improvements in VPN registration processes. Attendees included representatives from the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), PASHA, PAFLA, MoIT, MoFA, and the State Bank of Pakistan. The session focused on facilitating legitimate VPN users, such as software houses, BPO firms, banks, embassies, and freelancers, while ensuring data security and uninterrupted internet access. Stakeholders explored mechanisms to streamline VPN registration processes to support business continuity and secure online services.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in partnership with TikTok, hosted the Youth Safety Summit in Islamabad on November 21, 2024, to promote online safety and digital literacy among Pakistan’s youth. Key speakers included Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja, PTA Chairman Major General (R) Hafeezur Rehman, and TikTok’s Emir Gelen, all emphasizing the importance of collaboration and initiatives like TikTok's Family Pairing and Youth Safety Portal. The event concluded with the announcement of #DigitalHifazat Contest winners and plans to expand the initiative nationwide to enhance online safety.

The federal government has decided to partially suspend internet and mobile services in Islamabad , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab amid the opposition party PTI’s planned protest for 24 November. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will activate its firewall for mobile internet service from November 22 and the aforesaid services will be suspended from November 23, added the sources.

The services will likely remain suspended unless PTI either calls off its protest or make it shorter. PTI has hinted at turning its protest into indefinite sit-in unless its incarcerated leader former PM Imran Khan was released.

On 19th November, the social media app bluesky was temporarily banned in Pakistan. Users reported that they were unable to access it without a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Bluesky offered similar features as X, allowing users to have access to another platform without having to use a VPN. There has been a worldwide shift from X, and an increase in bluesky users, after the nomination of Elon Musk, the owner of X, in the cabinet of the US president-elect, Donald Trump.  Many Pakistanis have recently signed up to bluesky. 

The recent suspension of the platform came a week after authorities decided to ban all unregistered VPN’s, which had also gained considerable popularity in recent months after the PTA banned X on the 17th of February, following the general elections. 

In what seems to be an attempt to retract its statement made earlier, Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Dr Raghib Hussain Naeemi denied declaring the virtual private networks (VPNs) "un-Islamic" and blamed it on a "typo" for causing confusion in the council's decree amid the government's deadline to block all unregistered encrypted networks this month.

"No one has declared the VPNs against shariah or un-Islamic," said Naeemi in a press conference in Islamabad, adding: "A typing error in our previous statement created a misunderstanding after 'not' was omitted from it."

CII has come under a lot of criticism for its recent edict on VPNs. Senate Standing Committee called it “unreasonable” while renowned religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jamil termed it as a “narrow-minded stance”.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has partially suspended internet and mobile services since 15 November in several districts of Balochistan province to “ensure public safety and security”. While PTA did not specify the areas, these services reportedly remain suspended in various areas of Makran, Awaran, Chagai, Kharan, parts of Khuzdar, Kalat, Bolan, Harnai, Duki and some other areas which witnessed rising acts of terrorism in recent weeks.

The Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber Crime Cell summoned owners of two web platforms, Siyasat.pk and Raftar for allegedly “running continuous anti-state propaganda” on their platforms. Adeel Habib, the owner of Siyasat.pk, and Farhan Gauhar Mallick, the owner of Raftar, who reside in Karachi and Canada respectively, have been summoned to appear on November 20.