Pakistan's religious council says 'use of VPNs against Islamic law' amid govt crackdown on internet

As Pakistanis struggle to deal with frequent internet blockades, the country’s top advisory body on religious affairs declared that the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access blocked content on the internet is “against Islamic law”.

The statement came on Friday after Pakistani authorities deployed a nationwide firewall and pushed users to register VPNs with the state’s media regulator. Islamabad noted that the initiative is important to enhance cybersecurity and fight against terrorism.

Commenting on the matter, the Council of Islamic Ideology claimed that VPNs are being used in the country to access content prohibited according to Islamic laws or forbidden by law. They claimed that some of these content include “immoral and porn websites or websites that spread anarchy through disinformation.”

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The body holds the same contempt for any technology

In a state statement, the council declared that any technology, including the internet, used to access “immoral or illegal activities is prohibited according to Islamic principles.” “Using VPNs to access blocked or illegal content is against Islamic and social norms, therefore, their use is not acceptable under Islamic law. It falls under ‘abetting in sin,’ ” said the statement, quoting the council’s chairman, Raghib Naeemi, VOA reported.

The remarks from the council came hours after the Ministry of Interior sent a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, or PTA, the country’s independent media regulator, asking them to block illegal VPNs. They claimed that these networks are being used by terrorists as cyber tools.

“VPNs are increasingly being exploited by terrorists to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan,” the letter said. The ministry also mentioned how VPNs are being used to access pornographic content.

“Pakistan is also considered one of the leading [countries] in terms of [people] visiting porn sites using VPNs. However, these trends warrant prohibition of unauthorized VPNs to address the critical threats,” the note added.

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Pakistanis have been using VPNs to access social media platform X, formerly Twitter, which has remained mostly inaccessible since February’s controversial general elections. According to a court filing, the interior ministry asked the PTA to suspend the social media platform “in the interest of upholding national security, maintaining public order and preserving the integrity of our nation.”

Meanwhile, speaking at a security forum in Islamabad, Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, reiterated the call for greater regulation of online speech. “Freedom of expression without rules and regulations is becoming a source of degradation of values in all societies,” Munir told the audience at the Margalla Dialogue.

Earlier this week, the PTA announced a meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication, the Pakistan Software Export Board and the Pakistan Software Houses Association to discuss a VPN registration framework. The Pakistani authorities have also announced a “streamlined” VPN registration process that it claimed would allow “legitimate users to register their VPNs through a new online platform.”

With inputs from agencies.