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.

VPN services are a thorn in the side of Pakistan's government. They are now to be banned for individuals. There is support from a high Islamic body.

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.

In Pakistan, accessing blocked content via virtual private networks (VPNs) is prohibited under Shariah, or Islamic law, the country's top religious body has declared.

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

Allama Raghib Naeemi, head of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), issued a decree saying it makes no difference whether a VPN is registered or unregistered. “If attempts are made to access indecent or immoral sites,