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.

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.

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.

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.

The Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Dr. Raghib Hussain Naeemi, has declared the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) as un-Islamic if it facilitates access to blocked or unlawful websites.

Dr. Raghib Hussain Naeemi, Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), has declared VPN usage in Pakistan as un-Islamic.

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."