LHC issues notices to Govt, others in VPN blocking case

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued notices to federal government and others over a petition against slowed down Internet speed and blocking the VPN.

Justice Iqbal Chaudhry of the high court heard a petition, filed by Azhar Siddique advocate, challenging a slowed Internet service and the blockage of the Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Petitioner’s counsel pointed out that with slowed down of internet speed the users’ facing disruption of the service and also grappling difficulties in the internet use.

Petitioner pleaded to the court that the government is also going to impose ban over the VPN without any justification.

The petition seeks the court order for ending obstacles in the Internet speed and restraining ban on the VPN.

The Senate Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication has summoned interior secretary over the blockage of the VPN.

The Senate body met with Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Senator Palwasha Khan in chair. “The internet ban has created unrest in the country, our youth earning their livelihood through the internet has been worried, calling VPNs illegal is being ridiculed globally,” the senator said.

The Chairman of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) recently said that they have been working on VPN for two years. He clarified that the VPN registered for the users do not face internet disruptions.

The PTA chairman said that so far, 25,000 people have registered their VPNs.