"Using VPNs to access blocked or illegal content is against Islamic and social norms, therefore, their use is not acceptable under Islamic law," reads the official statement released on Friday, November 15, quoting the Council of Islamic Ideology’s chairman Raghib Naeemi – Voice of America reported.

The Interior Ministry charged in a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, which oversees the internet and mobile industry and has broad powers over online content and the licensing of service providers, that terrorists are increasingly using VPNs to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan.

Since the February 2024 general elections, Pakistan has blocked access to the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. In the months since the ban was enacted, many Pakistanis still managed to access the site using VPNs—something that is now less straightforward.

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.