Pakistan disables firewall installed to control social media content

2026-02-21 - 06:33

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has shut down the firewall installed in 2024 to control social media due to technical issues, according to reports. The development is being dubbed as a major decision by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) ahead of the auction of the 5G spectrum. PTA has confirmed that Pakistan’s 5G spectrum auction would be held on March 10 as the officials estimated potential proceeds ranging from $300 million to $700 million. The regulator is placing 597 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum in multiple frequency bands on the block. Three existing mobile network operators have been required to acquire a minimum of 100MHz each as part of the auction framework. In August 2024, PTA Chairman Major General (retired) Hafeez Ur Rehman confirmed the installation of a National Firewall System (NFS) to regulate social media content, but clarified that internet outages were caused by a fault in the submarine cable. He had revealed it while addressing the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT and Telecom after growing concerns about frequent internet disruptions. In response to questions from the committee members, Rehman acknowledged that the National Firewall System had been put in place as part of a government decision during the PTI era. With basic purpose of identifying sources of propaganda material and to block or limit the visibility of those sources, the government aimed to take social media control to new level. Sources within the government had claimed that the main focus would be on locating the source of such propaganda to stop it at its origin.