Pakistan’s top cleric has declared that using virtual private networks, or VPNs, is against Islamic law. This comes as the government seeks to ban the service. Allama Raghib Naeemi is the head of the Council of Islamic Ideology.
He said using VPNs is “un-Islamic” if they are used to access immoral sites, engage in character assassination, make statements against national security, or spread religious blasphemy. VPNs protect online privacy by creating a secure connection. They are used to access blocked content, protect data from hackers, and support remote work or secure transactions.
Several internet service providers in Pakistan have expressed concerns over possible restrictions on VPNs. They warn that such a move would anger users and impact online businesses.
Pakistani cleric on VPN restrictions
Shahzad Arshad is the chairman of the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan. He stated, “It is essential to recognize that blanket restrictions or sweeping narratives around tools like VPNs risk alienating segments of society, particularly those who rely on these tools for legitimate purposes, such as IT exports, financial transactions, and academic research.”
Amnesty Tech, part of Amnesty International, said imposing restrictions on VPNs would amount to “violating the right to privacy under international law, restricting people’s access to information, and suppressing free expression.
Activists and experts argue that the Council of Islamic Ideology’s declarations on technology use will only strengthen the government’s efforts to suppress digital freedoms. Haroon Baloch, a Pakistani digital rights activist, believes the proposed VPN restrictions aim to suppress political dissent.
He said the government had compliance challenges with social media platform X, leading to its ban in February. Consumers then turned to VPNs to access restricted content and hide their identities. Pakistan’s Interior Ministry has directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to block “illegal” VPNs not registered by the end of November.
The ministry asserted that terrorists increasingly use VPNs to obscure communications and access pornography sites. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has historically implemented policies undermining internet freedom, removed content without a transparent process, and instituted wholesale bans on platforms, as reported by Freedom House.
