Karachi: Amnesty International has uncovered a sweeping surveillance architecture in Pakistan that enables authorities to monitor millions of citizens through advanced phone-tapping technology and a vast internet firewall. The human rights organization warned that these systems, among the most intrusive outside of China, have created a climate of fear and censorship, severely undermining democratic freedoms.
At the center of the revelations is the Lawful Intercept Management System (LIMS), which Amnesty says allows real-time monitoring of at least 4 million mobile phones simultaneously. Alongside it operates WMS 2.0, a powerful internet firewall capable of inspecting and restricting as many as 2 million online sessions at once. Together, these tools grant the state unprecedented capacity to surveil conversations, intercept private data, and control what citizens can access online.
The investigation, pieced together through court filings, leaked documents, and trade records, highlights the international dimension of Pakistan’s surveillance setup. Amnesty traced the system’s backbone to a mix of Chinese and Western suppliers. Companies including China’s Geedge Networks, U.S.-based Niagara Networks, French defense giant Thales, Canada’s Sandvine, and Germany’s Utimaco were cited as contributors, underscoring how the global technology trade is facilitating authoritarian control.
Pakistan’s regulators have acknowledged compelling telecom operators to implement LIMS on government orders, even as intelligence and defense agencies deny holding such capabilities. The firewall, Amnesty noted, has already been used to block more than 650,000 websites, with platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and X frequently facing restrictions. These measures, the group warned, are systematically shrinking space for free expression in the country.
The timing of these developments is significant. Since the military’s fallout with former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022 and his subsequent arrest, Pakistan has seen a sharp decline in press and political freedoms. Thousands of Khan’s supporters have been detained, and journalists face escalating pressure. Amnesty argues that the surveillance systems are being weaponized in this context to suppress dissent, silence critics, and curtail political mobilization.
The most severe consequences, however, are visible in Balochistan, a region long plagued by conflict and state repression. Activists report routine internet shutdowns, enforced disappearances, and violent crackdowns, with the new surveillance architecture adding another layer of control over a marginalized population.
Human rights experts and digital security researchers warn that Pakistan’s model could inspire other governments seeking to consolidate power by controlling digital spaces. Amnesty’s findings point to a troubling global trend in which surveillance technologies are traded across borders with few safeguards, allowing authoritarian-leaning states to monitor citizens at an unprecedented scale.
By exposing Pakistan’s surveillance network, Amnesty International has called for urgent accountability both within the country and among the foreign companies whose technologies underpin the system. It warned that unchecked monitoring not only erodes privacy but also dismantles the foundations of civic life, leaving millions of Pakistanis vulnerable to repression in both physical and digital spheres.