According to Art. 5.2.a of the Import Policy Order 2016, as amended in 2020 and last amended in 2022, all products which are of Indian or Israeli origin or imported from India or Israel are banned entry into Pakistan, except therapeutic products regulated by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan. Before the 2020 amendment, only the ban was limited to imports from Israel and of Israeli origin. The Order is issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act 1950, last amended in 2024.

According to Appendix A of the Import Policy Order 2016, last amended in 2022, Pakistan has banned the import of Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunication (DECT) 6.0 phone discs and tapes from all countries. The Order is issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act 1950, last amended in 2024.

According to the Strategic Trade Policy Framework (2015-2018), in order to avoid the misuse of 3D printers, they can only be imported with prior permission from the Ministry of Interior.

According to Appendix B of the Import Policy Order 2016, as amended in 2022, only the Pakistan Television Corporation and other licensed authorities by the Federal Government are allowed to import transmission equipment used for reception, broadcast and distribution of satellite signals pertaining to the field of electronic media. Other companies that have an agreement with the government may also import these items to supply cellular and mobile phone facilities. The Order is issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act 1950, last amended in 2024.

It is reported that Pakistan prohibits exports to India and Israel.

Section 5 of the "Type Approval Technical Standards Regulations" provides that applications for the type approval of terminal equipment shall include one sample of the terminal equipment corresponding to the model for which approval is sought, with the submitted sample being complete in all respects, including all necessary accessories, in order to enable the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to conduct a full technical evaluation. In addition, the application should include a declaration of conformity issued by the manufacturer, demonstrating compliance of the applied device with the relevant standards, such as radio frequency (RF), safety, specific absorption rate (SAR), and electromagnetic compatibility/electromagnetic interference (EMC/EMI), or any other standards as may be required by the Authority from time to time; and, where requested by the PTA, detailed test reports substantiating the standards referenced in the declaration of conformity, including, as applicable, reports relating to RF, safety, SAR, and EMC/EMI.

Section 31 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act discusses “expedited preservation and acquisition of data”. It allows an authorised agent to require a person to hand over data without producing a court warrant if it is believed that it is “reasonably required” for a criminal investigation. This can be termed as a blanket authorisation provision that gives the executive direct authority to take action without any judicial oversight or scrutiny. In addition to this, no test as to what amounts to a reasonable requirement is provided in the section. This is problematic because the lack of requisite checks and balances affords the executive a discretionary power that can be used to violate fundamental rights.
Section 35 provides law enforcement officers various powers relating to information systems. One of these is a power to require any person who is in possession of “decryption information of an information system, device or data under investigation” to grant the officer access to such data, device or information system “in unencrypted or decrypted intelligible format” for the purposes of investigating the offence.
Section 39 allows for "Real-time collection and recording" of data: "[i]f a Court is satisfied on the basis of information furnished by an authorised officer that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the content of any information is reasonably required for the purposes of a specific criminal investigation, the Court may order, with respect to information held by or passing through a service provider, to a designated agency as notified under the Investigation for Fair Trial Act 2013 or any other law for the time being in force having capability to collect real-time information, to collect or record such information in real-time coordination with the investigation agency for provision in the prescribed manner."

Pakistan has not adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Pakistan does not possess a comprehensive legal framework that affords effective protection to trade secrets. In the absence of a standalone trade secrets statute, confidential information is instead protected through contractual instruments such as non‑disclosure agreements and confidentiality undertakings, as well as through common law remedies, including the tort of breach of confidence.

There is an obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in Pakistan to deliver telecom services to end users. It is practiced in the mobile sector and in the fixed sector based on commercial agreements.

The Government of Pakistan holds equity interests in certain telecommunications companies. In particular, the state owns 62.2% of the Class A shares in Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited. In addition, the Special Communications Organisation operates as a public sector organisation under the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT). Furthermore, the Telecom Foundation, which is affiliated with the MoITT, holds a 55.1% stake in Pak Datacom Limited.

Pakistan mandates functional and accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market.

According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Rules, no person shall establish, maintain or operate any telecommunications system or provide any telecommunications service unless a licence for the same has been granted to it by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Pursuant to Art. 3.1, the license to provide basic telephone service cannot be granted. Still, applications may be made for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of any telecommunication system or the provision of any telecommunication service other than basic telephone service. According to Art. 4.3, in determining whether or not to grant a license, the Authority shall take into account the following factors:
- the financial and economic viability of the applicant;
- the applicant's experience in telecommunications and relevant history;
- the technical competence and experience of the applicant's management and key members of staff and local participation in the business;
- the nature of the services proposed and the viability of the applicant's business plan, including the applicant's proposed roll-out and service quality commitments and its contribution to the development of the telecommunications sector;
- the quality of the applicant's telecommunications system or network; and
- the terms of the bid made by the applicant where the license is to be issued under a competitive process.
If the PTA considers that there are any factors in relation to that application that threaten or potentially threaten national security, it may reject an application.

Pursuant to Art. 5 of the Class of 2007 Value Added Services Licensing and Registration Regulations, application for the grant of a Registered Services license for the provision of value-added services shall be made in the manner set forth in Schedule "A" of the Regulations. According to Art. 2, value-added services are all telecommunication services, excluding the core telecommunications services of access providers, as determined by the Authority from time to time.
Pursuant to Art. 6, the authority may grant a license or Registration Certificate to any applicant who fulfils the open, transparent, and non-discriminatory eligibility criteria given by the Authority from time to time. The Authority for providing a license shall take into account the following factors:
- the financial and economic viability of the applicant;
- the applicant's experience in telecommunications and relevant past history;
- technical competence and experience of applicant's management and key members of staff and local participation in the business; and
- the nature of the services proposed and the viability of the applicant's business plan, including its contribution to the development of the telecommunications sector.
However, the Authority may reject an application if it appears that the grant of the License or Registration Certificate shall threaten or potentially threaten national security.

Pakistan has appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.