Tech Desk 
Sep 09, 2025
In a surprising move pointing to a massive surveillance system active in the country, Amnesty International's report has revealed that the Pakistani authorities are spying on millions of citizens using a Chinese-built internet firewall and a phone-tapping system.
This extensive state surveillance is said to be among the most comprehensive outside of China, according to the report released on Tuesday.
Amnesty International's report about internet, mobile phone surveillance in Pakistan
The rights organisation highlighted that Pakistan's monitoring network is constructed with both Chinese and Western technology, facilitating a significant crackdown on dissent and free speech.
The report comes in the wake of a tightening noose on political and media freedoms over the past few years.
The Amnesty report also outlined that Pakistan's spy agencies can surveil over 4 million mobile phones at a time using its Lawful Intercept Management System (LIMS). Moreover, a firewall called WMS 2.0 is also in effect, capable of inspecting internet traffic and blocking 2 million active sessions at once.
These systems work together to enable intelligence agencies to tap into calls and texts while also restricting access to websites and social media.
Jurre van Berge, an Amnesty technologist, claimed that the actual number of phones under surveillance might be even higher, as all major mobile operators have been instructed to connect to LIMS.
The report stresses that mass surveillance deters people from exercising their rights online and offline.
Amnesty’s findings were partly based on a 2024 court case involving Bushra Bibi, the wife of the former PM, regarding leaked private calls.
While defence ministries denied phone tapping, the telecom regulator admitted to ordering phone companies to implement LIMS for designated agencies.
