Allama Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi has been appointed as the chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Ministry of Law and Justice said on Saturday.

The CII is a constitutional body that advises the parliament on how to align legislation with the principles of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

According to a notification dated December 6 — a copy of which is available with Dawn — Allama Naeemi was appointed as a member and the chairman of CII.

“The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has also been pleased to appoint Allama Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi as Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology,” the directive read.

Allama Naeemi was previously serving as the acting chairman of the CII since May 2024. He is also the vice-chancellor of Jamia Naeemi and Chairman of the Muttahida Ulema Board Punjab.

The Islamic scholar is also a recipient of Sitara-i-Imtiaz.

In 2024, Allama Naeemi drew criticism over remarks about the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN).

He said that using VPNs for “immoral or illegal activities”, as well as to access “illegal content or blocked websites”, was against Sharia.

In the statement, the CII chairman had contended that Islamic laws allowed the government to prevent actions that lead to the “spread of evil”.