VPNs against Islam if used against national security: Pakistani religious body head clarifies amid controversy

Islamabad: Facing criticism for terming the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access blocked content on the internet as "un-Islamic", the chief of Pakistan's top body of clerics on Monday said the service was against Islam if used to harm national security, commit blasphemy or character assassination.

Allama Raghib Naeemi, the chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) - which advises the government on religious issues, stirred up a controversy on Friday by issuing a decree that the use of VPNs was un-Islamic.

Several religious leaders and digital media experts called into question the edict. However, he modified the statement while speaking to Geo News programme ‘Geo Pakistan’.

"Whether it is a registered VPN or unregistered, if attempts are made to access indecent or immoral sites, character assassination is done, statements are being made against national security, or if various incidents of religious blasphemy are being spread through it, then (using) it would completely be un-Islamic,” he said.

However, if it is being used for education, communication, or conveying positive messages, then no harm is being considered in that, he clarified.

"If you register the VPN, and do positive activity or even positive criticism, then there is no harm in it,” Naeemi said. He further explained: "As [VPN] hides location [and] who is working from where. So, when we talk about these technological matters, in reality, its action decides if it is Islamic or un-Islamic." The cleric also elaborated that the case of VPNs was “exactly similar to using a loudspeaker”, noting that using the device in violation of the Punjab Sound Systems (Regulation) Act 2015 would constitute a case and punishment.

The Punjab Sound Systems (Regulation) Act 2015 aimed to prevent public nuisance and the voicing of utterances of a controversial nature likely to cause public disorder.

Naeemi quoted an expert from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority as telling him that "15 million un-Islamic and immoral sites were being accessed daily using VPNs”.

In Pakistan, the use of VPNs has surged to access X, which has been banned since February. However, it is allegedly also used to bypass restrictions on pornographic content and for illegal activities like terrorists.

Last week, the Interior Ministry through a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that VPNs were increasingly being exploited by terrorists to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan.