Pakistan To Implement National Firewall, Cracking Down on Online Dissent

ARSHAD MEHMOOD

Publishing date: 14 June 2024

Published in: The Media Line

The process will jeopardize the foundational principles of democracy and freedom of expression, experts say

[Islamabad] Pakistan has reportedly begun installing a nationwide firewall to regulate internet usage. The firewall will control access to social media sites, including Facebook, YouTube, and X, and will empower the government to identify IP addresses associated with what it calls “anti-state propaganda.”

Pakistan now joins countries like China, Iran, Turkey, and Russia in employing a national firewall to regulate internet content. 

The firewall aims to pinpoint and restrict sources of propaganda content. As a result, all ‘unsolicited posts’ from both domestic and international sources will undergo screening via the firewall.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Islamabad-based telecommunications official told The Media Line that “the firewall aims to pinpoint and restrict sources of propaganda content. As a result, all ‘unsolicited posts’ from both domestic and international sources will undergo screening via the firewall.”

He said that the firewall will resemble those in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries and that its aim is to “eliminate” propaganda.

Details regarding the firewall’s cost and operational specifics have not been disclosed. According to some reports, China sold the system to Pakistan. 

The government is also reportedly preparing to regulate virtual private networks (VPNs), a service through which internet users can shield their identities and mask their location in order to circumvent restrictions. Citizens may be required to inform the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority about the VPNs they are using, and anyone who fails to do so could face consequences.

The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, was banned in Pakistan in April, leading many Pakistani X users to begin accessing the site through a VPN. 

Pakistan’s government has not issued an official statement about the firewall, although Federal Minister for Law Nazeer Tarar recently alluded to upcoming social media legislation. The Media Line reached out to various federal officials for comment, none of whom responded as of this writing.

The Pakistani military recently condemned the alleged propaganda against state institutions on social media, referring to it as “digital terrorism.”

At the end of the 83rd Formation Commanders Conference, the Pakistan Army declared “a firm commitment to combat and defeat antimilitary campaigns proliferating across online platforms.”

The meeting was chaired by Gen. Asim Munir, the chief of army staff.

In a statement put out after the conference, the Armed Forces Media Wing said that the forum brought to light how “politically motivated digital terrorism, aided by foreign collaborators, aims to induce despondency in Pakistan, sow discord among institutions, particularly the armed forces, and spread lies and propaganda.”