- There are 15 million visits to indecent websites daily, says the CII chief.
- CII gave unwarranted opinion on VPN, says Rana Sanaullah.
- SAPM says the VPN issue has nothing to do with Sharia law.
Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Dr Raghib Hussain Naeemi on Monday gave a clarification on the fatwa (Islamic decree) regarding VPN, an encrypted internet network, saying its Islamic or non-Islamic nature mainly depends of its use.
“No matter whether the VPN is registered or not, it will be un-Islamic if it is used for indecent content and false propaganda,” Naeemi said. Geo News morning show “Geo Pakistan”.
Stressing the need to block access to immoral or blasphemous content on the Internet, the CII declared on November 15 that the use of VPN was against Islam.
In a statement, CII President Naeemi said the government had the right to fight evil and prevent its access. He had said that taking steps to prevent or restrict access to immoral and offensive content was in accordance with Sharia law.
Explaining the context in which the fatwa was issued, he said the Geo News’ program which, since the majority of VPN usage was for accessing indecent websites, the CII declared it un-Islamic.
The CII chief said that as per reports given to him, there were 15 million daily visits to indecent sites.
“If you register the VPN and give positive reviews, then there is no harm,” he said, emphasizing VPN registration.
On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah said he was not aware of the government’s view on VPN blocking.
Speaking on ‘Naya Pakistan’, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs said the VPN issue was not within the purview of the CII or Naeemi.
“The CII gave an unwarranted opinion on VPN,” he said, adding that it had nothing to do with Sharia law.
He further clarified that the government has imposed restrictions on misuse of social media platform X.