Pakistan’s Crime Agency to Ask Telecom Authority to Block Crypto Websites: Report

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which investigates serious and organized crime, said it will ask Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block websites dealing in cryptocurrencies, according to a report by Dawn.

• The proposal is intended to counter fraud and possible money laundering by blocking crypto-linked websites, FIA Director-General Sanaullah Abbasi said at a press conference Saturday after meeting with officials of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
• SBP has already submitted recommendations for regulating cryptocurrencies, Abbasi said.
• “Crypto has given a new dimension to the fraud,” said Abbasi, adding that his agency will approach legal experts to deal with fraud and other issues arising from crypto currency dealings.
• Earlier this month the FIA said it wanted to talk with Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, as part of an investigation into a suspected scam it said has cost several thousand investors more than $100 million.
• On Jan. 13, local media reported the government of Pakistan and its central bank want to ban the use of cryptocurrencies, citing a document submitted to a provincial court.