Pakistan’s top body of clerics, which advises the government on religious issues, has declared the use of virtual private networks against Islamic laws as the government seeks to ban them.

Raghib Naeemi, who advises the government on religious issues, said that Islamic laws allow the government to prevent actions that lead to the "spread of evil."

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.

VPN usage has risen sharply in Pakistan, with many using the software to access X (formerly Twitter), which has been banned since February, along with other restricted sites. Authorities assert that VPNs are also being employed to bypass blocks on pornographic content.

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has sparked widespread criticism from digital rights advocates, lawmakers, and religious scholars after its chief, Raghib Naeemi, declared the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) for accessing “immoral or illegal content” as un-Islamic.

Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology faced backlash for declaring VPN use to access blocked content as un-Islamic. Critics, including digital rights activists and scholars, argue this stance contradicts privacy rights and highlights governance issues in the country.

While some religious scholars distance themselves from Council of Islamic Ideology head Raghib Naeemi's remark, it aligns with Premier Sharif's government's plans to ban VPNs - Anadolu Ajansı