Pakistan’s top advisory body on religious affairs on Friday declared that using virtual private networks to access blocked content on the internet is against Shariah, or Islamic law.
The statement came as authorities deploy a nationwide firewall and push users to register VPNs with the state’s media regulator, ostensibly to enhance cybersecurity and fight terrorism.
Critics say such measures, however, increase online surveillance, curb freedom of expression and hurt e-commerce.
Virtual private networks enable internet users to hide their identity and location, allowing them to maintain privacy and security and access online content that is blocked in their country.
The Council of Islamic Ideology said the technology was being used in Pakistan to access content prohibited according to Islamic principles or forbidden by law, including “immoral and porn websites or websites that spread anarchy through disinformation.”
“Using VPNs to access blocked or illegal content is against Islamic and social norms, therefore, their use is not acceptable under Islamic law. It falls under ‘abetting in sin,’ ” said the statement, quoting the council’s chairman, Raghib Naeemi.
The statement declared that any technology, including the internet, used to access “immoral or illegal activities is prohibited according to Islamic principles.”
Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Interior sent a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, or PTA, the country’s independent media regulator, asking it to block all “illegal” VPNs, claiming terrorists were using the cyber tool.
“VPNs are increasingly being exploited by terrorists to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan,” the letter said.
The ministry also pointed to the use of VPNs for viewing pornography.
“Pakistan is also considered as one of the leading [countries] in terms of [people] visiting porn sites using VPNs. However, these trends warrant prohibition of unauthorized VPNs to address the critical threats,” the note added.
Along with using VPNs for online business and entertainment, many Pakistanis use the tool to access social media platform X, formerly Twitter, which remains mostly inaccessible since February’s controversial general elections.
According to court filings, the interior ministry ordered the PTA to suspend the platform “in the interest of upholding national security, maintaining public order and preserving the integrity of our nation.”
Opponents of the restrictions say the increased push to control online activities is aimed at curbing criticism of the Pakistani military. The powerful institution is facing intense backlash for its alleged meddling in politics since incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan was pushed out of office in April 2022.
Denying political interference, the military repeatedly has referred to online criticism and smear campaigns as “digital terrorism.”
Speaking Friday at a security forum in Islamabad, Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, reiterated the call for greater regulation of online speech.
“Freedom of expression without rules and regulations is becoming a source of degradation of values in all societies,” Munir told the audience at the Margalla Dialogue.
Earlier this week the PTA announced a meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication, the Pakistan Software Export Board and the Pakistan Software Houses Association to discuss a VPN registration framework.
The authority also announced a “streamlined” VPN registration process that it said allows “legitimate users to register their VPNs through a new online platform.”
This came after Pakistanis reported widespread disruption in VPN connectivity over the weekend.
A cybersecurity source confirmed to VOA the outage was part of a government-run experiment to block VPNs using the firewall that is being deployed and was tested for months.
Officials reject the notion the government is attempting to throttle the internet. However, experts say the nationwide internet regulation tool acquired from China increases the Pakistani state’s capability to monitor communications.
To register a VPN, the user must submit, among other details, a subscriber ID issued by the person’s internet service provider, national identity card number and the IP address, which is a unique number that identifies a device connected to the internet. Experts say such information can enable authorities to track online activities, limit privacy and increase a person’s vulnerability to data breaches.
In its letter Friday, the interior ministry asked the PTA to allow users to register VPNs until the end of the month.
