Dawn calls out government for hypocrisy in VPN and social media ban

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published last year |  JP Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—In a bold editorial published on Sunday, Daily Dawn criticized the Council of Islamic Ideology's (CII) recent declaration that using VPNs to access blocked websites is "un-Islamic." The editorial, titled 'Un-Islamic' VPNs, argues that it is regrettable to see religion being used to justify a ban that government officials themselves do not seem to fully support or enforce.

Dawn highlighted the contradiction by noting that just an hour after the CII's statement, Pakistan's prime minister posted a congratulatory message on the social media platform X, celebrating the Sri Lankan president's recent election victory. Since X has been officially blocked for Pakistani citizens since February, the prime minister could only have accessed it through a VPN. Dawn pointed out that several other government officials have continued using X, showing open disregard for the platform's ban and casting doubt on the state's stated concerns about VPN misuse.

The editorial also criticized the CII for its selective silence on other pressing issues facing Pakistan, particularly enforced disappearances. Dawn questioned the CII's lack of response on whether these practices align with Islamic values or if collective punishment is religiously acceptable. It argued that CII's focus on VPNs and social media restrictions appears misplaced when Pakistan faces far more urgent crises, suggesting that efforts to combat pornography and inappropriate content online should be tackled with more effective, nuanced measures.

The editorial ended with a warning that heavy-handed bans on digital tools, such as VPNs, could stifle Pakistan's growing digital economy and discourage foreign investment, ultimately doing more harm than good to the nation's economic and social landscape.