Ruckus over ban on VPN in Pakistan, CII called it un-Islamic, said- 'Use of VPN is against Sharia'

Pakistan's organization 'Council of Islamic Ideology' (CII) has supported the ban on Virtual Private Network (VPN) and called its use "un-Islamic". The organization has supported the government to take any step to prevent access to "immoral and blasphemous" content.

Despite the ban in Pakistan, a large number of people are using VPN to access social media platform 'X' and watch porn. According to Pakistan's newspaper Dawn, CII chief Raghi Naimi said that watching illegal content on the Internet through VPN is against Sharia.

VPN is used to run banned content, websites or apps in a country. Pakistan's Home Ministry has banned Virtual Private Network (VPN) with the argument that it is being used by terrorist groups to carry out violent incidents. It was also said that VPN is being used to watch pornographic and 'blasphemy related' content in the country. Due to which it is necessary to ban it.

The 'Council of Islamic Ideology' has issued a fatwa against VPN, calling it anti-Islam. However, many people have not liked this fatwa. Even digital rights activists and some religious leaders have opposed it.

Those Who Enforced Ban On VPN Don’t Even Know About Internet
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Took Harsh Stance On Govt. Policy To Ban VPN@BBhuttoZardari#BilawalBhuttoZardari #PPP #PoliticalUpdate #BilawalHouse #Karachi #Pakistan #VPN #Internet #Technology pic.twitter.com/qefEbXJFtB

— Capital TV (@CapitalTVLive) November 14, 2024

In a statement on social media, Maulana Tariq Jameel, a well-known religious leader of Pakistan, said that if watching adult content or blasphemous content is the issue, then mobile phones should also be declared anti-Islam before VPN.

Allama Naseer Abbas, a Pakistani MP and head of the Shia organization Majlis Wahdat Muslimeen, said that the country is being run by an incompetent and corrupt upper class, who are not even the real representatives of the people. He said that they make such laws and use fatwas as per their wish.

Wahaj Siraj, CEO of telecom company Nayatel, said that technology has always been neutral and only its misuse can be called halal or haram.

The issue of VPN in Pakistan arose when the Home Ministry ordered the Telecom Authority, which monitors electronic media in the country, to ban its illegal use and take action. The government said that VPN is being used illegally to spread terrorism.

A report by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has revealed that large-scale attempts have been made to access illegal, sexual and prohibited content from Pakistan. According to the PTA, Pakistanis tried at least five billion times to access illegal and sexual websites using VPN.