The Interior Ministry on Friday asked the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block “illegal VPNs” across Pakistan, citing their use by terrorists to “facilitate violent activities” and to “access pornographic and blasphemous content”.

Virtual Private Networks, better known as VPNs, are widely used around the world to access content that may be inaccessible or blocked for internet users in their home country. In the case of Pakistanis, they are used to access X, among other restricted websites.

On Wednesday, the PTA said that VPN usage would be restricted in the future to curb access to pornographic content, following a disruption that rendered VPNs dysfunctional across the country on Sunday.

In a statement, the authority claimed it had so far blocked 100,183 URLs containing blasphemous content, as well as 844,008 pornographic websites. It also claimed that approximately 20 million attempts were made from within the country to access pornographic websites daily, which were blocked at the international gateway level.

The statement by PTA highlighting its performance came a day after the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony wrote to the regulator, asking it to block blasphemous and pornographic content.

In a letter to PTA on Friday, seen by Dawn.com, the interior ministry said that “VPNs are increasingly being exploited by the terrorists to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan.

“Of late, an alarming fact has been identified, wherein VPNs are used by terrorists to obscure and conceal their communications,” the letter said. “VPNs are also being used [to] discreetly access pornographic and blasphemous contents.”

“It is pointed out that Pakistan is considered as one of the leading country in terms of visiting porn sites using VPNs,” the letter said, adding that these trends warranted the prohibition of unauthorised VPNs to address the critical threats.

“It is, therefore, requested to block illegal VPNs across Pakistan so that legitimate/registered VPN users are not affected.”

Additionally, registration of VPNs with PTA may be made till November 30, the letter stated.

Last week, users from across the country reported they were experiencing “restricted access” to VPNs, alongside poor internet connectivity.

Digital rights activists termed the disruption the government’s attempt to “enforce strict censorship and surveillance over citizens”. The PTA, however, dismissed users’ claim that it was “throttling” VPNs and said the disruptions were caused by a “technical glitch”. It also urged users to register their VPNs.

Council of Islamic Ideology declares use of VPN ‘illegal’

Concurrently, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Friday declared the use of VPNs “illegal”.

“The government has the authority in Sharia to counter evil and all actions that lead to evil,” CII Chairman Allama Dr Raghib Hussain Naeemi was quoted as saying in a statement from the body.

“Using the internet or any software (VPN, etc) intended to access immoral or illegal activities is strictly prohibited. Using a VPN with the intention of accessing illegal content or blocked websites is illegitimate in Sharia.”

According to Naeemi, the government and the state are legally empowered to counter all actions that lead to evil, so taking measures to prevent or restrict access to immoral and offensive content, including blocking VPNs, was compatible with Sharia and the recommendations and suggestions presented by the Council were implemented.

“So, we support and appreciate these actions,” Naeemi said, terming the move “commendable”.

Naeemi went on to acknowledge that while VPN was a technology that generally provided security and privacy, it was also used to access websites that were against Sharia or blocked by the government. These included immoral or porn websites and websites that created anarchy in society by spreading lies or disinformation, the statement said.

“Online theft is also done through VPN and the thief cannot be traced.”

“According to the principles of Sharia, the justification or non-justification of any action depends on its purpose and method of use. Since using a VPN to access blocked or illegal content is a violation of Islamic and social law, its use would not be legally permissible,” the statement added.

Registration portal for VPN users

On Tuesday, the authority hosted a consultation session on VPN registration framework to “foster a secure environment for the IT and e-commerce sectors in Pakistan”, a press statement said.

“The PTA introduced a streamlined VPN registration process, allowing legitimate users to register their VPNs through a new online portal at ipregistration.pta.gov.pk,” the statement said.

The authority claimed that this simplified framework “supports uninterrupted access for IT companies, freelancers, and other stakeholders, reinforcing PTA’s commitment to Pakistan’s expanding digital economy”.

Clampdown

In August, the PTA initiated a crackdown on VPN usage to block access to the already banned social media platform X.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in September that X had been banned due to national security issues, not to curb freedom of expression. He added that “separatists and terrorists” were using the platform against Pakistan, which could not be allowed.

In the same month, the PTA dispelled rumours and clarified that VPNs in the country were not being blocked.