Amnesty International has warned that Pakistan’s expanding surveillance systems are being used to stifle political opposition and silence dissent, deepening a crackdown on freedoms already under strain.
The watchdog’s latest report said spy agencies can monitor four million phones simultaneously using the Lawful Intercept Management System (LIMS). Meanwhile, a Chinese-built firewall inspects Internet traffic, blocking up to two million sessions at a time and restricting platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and X.
These tools, Amnesty argued, reinforce a pattern of state repression that intensified after the military’s split with former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. Khan is now jailed, and thousands of his supporters have been detained.
The report also highlights the case of Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, whose private calls were leaked online, prompting a legal battle that exposed the telecom regulator’s role in mandating surveillance equipment.
Pakistan currently blocks around 650,000 web links, with the harshest restrictions seen in Balochistan, where entire districts suffer years-long Internet blackouts. Rights groups say these controls are paired with enforced disappearances and intimidation of activists, charges authorities deny.
Amnesty said the surveillance system is built with foreign technology, but its implications are local: silencing debate, curbing activism, and discouraging free expression. “Mass surveillance creates a chilling effect,” the group said.
With ministries silent on the findings, concerns are mounting that Pakistan is locking itself into a long-term path of digital authoritarianism.