Pakistan, under the leadership of army chief Asim Munir, has rapidly transformed into one of the most heavily monitored states in the world outside China, according to a recent Amnesty International report. By merging Chinese-style censorship technologies with Western surveillance tools, Munir’s administration has created an expansive digital dragnet designed to crush dissent, silence political opponents, and maintain the military’s iron grip on power. From widespread phone tapping to region-wide internet shutdowns, the regime has weaponised technology to suppress freedoms at an unprecedented scale.
Amnesty’s findings reveal that Pakistan is now operating one of the most comprehensive surveillance networks in the world, second only to China’s authoritarian model. For decades, China has perfected a system of mass control, using its “Great Firewall,” phone monitoring, and facial recognition technologies to keep dissent in check. Pakistan, long described as Beijing’s “iron brother,” appears to be replicating this model by blending Chinese-provided firewalls with Western-manufactured interception equipment. Amnesty argues that these combined systems have created a chilling climate where citizens fear exercising their rights, both online and offline.
According to the report, Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have the capacity to monitor at least four million mobile phones at once through the Lawful Intercept Management System (LIMS), a sophisticated phone-tapping setup. Complementing this is the Chinese-supplied WMS 2.0 internet firewall, capable of filtering and blocking two million simultaneous online sessions. The firewall, supplied by Beijing-based Geedge Networks, is used to restrict access to global platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). Currently, an estimated 660,000 websites are blocked across Pakistan, with the harshest measures imposed in conflict-ridden regions such as Balochistan, where communities have endured years-long internet blackouts.
Amnesty’s evidence comes from licensing documents, leaked technical files, and trade records connecting these technologies to state-owned Chinese companies, as well as to Western firms. German company Utimaco provides the phone-tapping equipment, while US-based Niagara Networks, France’s Thales DIS, and UAE-based Datafusion are also tied to Pakistan’s system. An earlier version reportedly used technology from Canada’s Sandvine. This blending of Chinese and Western technology has enabled the Munir regime to create a uniquely intrusive and far-reaching surveillance framework.
The human cost of these measures is already evident. Pakistan’s crackdown on opposition voices intensified after the military withdrew support for former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. Following Khan’s arrest, thousands of his supporters were jailed during mass protests, with over 1,400 detained after the violent May 2023 riots. Courts have since sentenced dozens of opposition members, including senior leaders, to lengthy prison terms under anti-terrorism laws. At the same time, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) banned coverage of Khan, while the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) shut down internet services and blocked major platforms during periods of unrest.
Freedom of expression and assembly suffered further blows during the February 2024 elections, which international observers said were deeply flawed and marred by violence. Independent media outlets and digital voices critical of the regime have faced intense censorship, with YouTube channels run by journalists, political commentators, and activists among those recently banned. In Balochistan, where dissent is strongest, reports of enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and violent crackdowns remain routine.
The Amnesty report concludes that Pakistan’s military-led establishment has entrenched itself as one of the most repressive regimes in the world by borrowing China’s surveillance blueprint. With its mix of Western and Chinese technologies, the Munir regime has built a system designed not only to silence political opposition but also to deter ordinary citizens from speaking out. The combination of mass phone tapping, internet censorship, and systematic blackouts paints a grim picture of a society where the right to privacy, free speech, and dissent is being steadily erased under the pretext of national security.
