The Council of Islamic Ideology has declared the use of VPN as un-Islamic. In a statement on Friday, Chairman Council of Islamic Ideology Dr Raghib Hussain Naeemi said the government has the right to curb evil and prevent access to it.
He declared that taking measures to prevent or restrict the access to immoral and offensive content is in accordance with the Sharia.
The Chairman said using VPN with the intention of accessing illegal content or blocked websites is against the Shariah. He further said online theft is also possible through VPN without leaving any traces.
Raghib Hussain Naeemi said it is responsibility of the government to prohibit the use of such means which can undermine social values and the observance of law.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has recently accelerated efforts to regulate Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), commencing a block on unregistered VPNs to improve online security and protect user data. According to the reports of PTA officials, unregistered VPNs can pose massive security risks by allowing unauthorized access to sensitive data and by potentially permitting users to access restricted content.
Read more: PTA clarifies no VPN blockage, urges IP registration for uninterrupted service
This measure is part of a larger government initiative to secure the digital landscape by bringing all VPNs under PTA’s oversight through a white-listing process. The VPN registration program, which began in 2010, has registered approximately 20,500 VPNs and more than 1,422 companies as of today. Despite these efforts, however, numerous users are still reliant on unregistered VPNs, primarily for unrestricted internet access, which poses security challenges for the authorities.
Recently, internet users in Pakistan have reported disruptions when attempting to access free VPN services, hindering their ability to browse securely. PTA officials have responded by assuring users that improvements are underway to streamline the white-listing process for legitimate VPN users while targeting and curbing illegal VPN usage. According to the PTA, individuals and businesses utilizing VPNs for work purposes—such as IT companies, freelancers, and financial institutions—are encouraged to officially register their VPN IPs to ensure continuous and secure access.
Globally, VPNs are widely used to bypass content restrictions, and they have become especially popular in Pakistan to access restricted sites like X (formerly Twitter), which remains inaccessible in the country without a VPN. The government has stated that access to X will only be reinstated if the platform formally registers within Pakistan. This aligns with PTA’s broader mission to have greater control over internet traffic and ensure that platforms operating within Pakistan adhere to local regulations.
In a recent move to reinforce these security measures, the government conducted a six-hour firewall test, which temporarily blocked over two dozen VPNs nationwide. This was one of the first significant instances of a firewall affecting VPN usage across Pakistan, raising concerns among users who rely on VPNs for both professional and personal online security.
The PTA’s latest actions underline its commitment to safeguarding internet security in Pakistan while urging businesses and individuals to comply with registration requirements to prevent future disruptions.