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Pakistan’s top advisory body on religious affairs declared on Friday that using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access blocked content is prohibited under Shariah or Islamic law. This ruling comes as the government rolls out a nationwide firewall and urges users to register their VPNs with the state’s media regulator, citing the need to enhance cybersecurity and combat terrorism. The Council of Islamic Ideology stated that VPNs are being used in Pakistan to access content deemed prohibited by Islamic principles or law, including immoral sites and those spreading disinformation or anarchy, as reported by VOA.
“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. “VPNs are increasingly being exploited by terrorists to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan,” the letter said.
The note highlighted that Pakistan is one of the leading countries in visiting porn sites via VPNs, and emphasised the need to prohibit unauthorised VPNs to address critical security threats. ALSO READ: ‘F**k You, Elon Musk’: Brazil's First Lady Janja Lula Swears In Viral Video, X Boss Reacts With THIS Pakistan Suspends Online Platform Amid Claims Of Military Criticism Suppression Court filings reveal that Pakistan's interior ministry instructed the PTA to suspend a platform to uphold national security, public order, and the nation's integrity. Critics argue that the increased control over online activities is intended to suppress criticism of the Pakistani military, which has faced strong backlash for its alleged interference in politics since the removal of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in April 2022.
ALSO READ: 'Help Release Imran Khan': 46 US Lawmakers Ask Prez Biden To Intervene; Flag Human Rights Violations In Pakistan Earlier in a statement, PTA stated that it had blocked 100,183 URLs with blasphemous content and 844,008 pornographic websites. It also reported that around 20 million daily attempts to access pornographic websites from within the country were blocked at the international gateway level..
