Pakistan Will Never be Shariah Compliant Without Anti-Piracy Enforcement

The road to a truly Islamic society cannot be selectively paved. If riba is haram, so is ghasab (usurping someone’s rights or property), which directly applies to piracy. Our policymakers, ulema, and civil society must now broaden the conversation around Shariah compliance. Piracy should be addressed with the same resolve and institutional support as interest-based banking. The goal to establish a totally Shariah-compliant state remains a main aim while Pakistan keeps changing its political and economic systems. Raihan Ali Merchant, chairman of Z2C Limited, told ProPakistani, Rooted in the values established at the moment of independence, this vision demands every aspect of the country, its laws, economics, cultural framework, and digital practices to line up with the Islamic principles. If Pakistan really wants complete Shariah compliance, it has to face a moral and structural contradiction presented by this disconnection. It is no secret that the lion’s share of Pakistan’s exports goes to the US. It is also a well-documented fact that the lion’s share of taxes collected in Pakistan comes from multinational corporations. To continue a fruitful relationship with the US and MNCs, Pakistan needs to enforce local actors and companies that violate intellectual property laws. The state should take notice of the local actors and organisations, whose illicit actions are causing widespread embarrassment for the country. This also impacts Pakistan’s ability to attract foreign direct investment. For nearly a decade, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has stated that Pakistan is weak on enforcement. For nearly a decade, Pakistan’s leaders have read this and done nothing about it. The 2025 301 Special Report from the USTR is expected to be worse for Pakistan for a handful of reasons, particularly due to investigative reporters and expert commentary. In April 2024, the Daily Dot exposed the names of all the Pakistani ISPs and telecoms that are openly pirating American, European, and Indian content. “Pakistan must implement a comprehensive strategy to tackle these difficulties effectively,” said Sarah Iqbal, a partner at Akhund Forbes, a multi-jurisdictional corporate and commercial law firm, in a paper for the International Bar Association. “It is essential to revise current laws to address the complexities of digital piracy and online counterfeiting.” She said the changes should provide specific consequences for digital IP violation, as well as simplifying the procedures for registering and safeguarding IP in the digital era. “Improving the enforcement mechanism is equally important,” she said. “Specialised training for law enforcement officials and judges on IP matters can enhance their capacity to handle such situations effectively and sensitively.” Experts concede that rights enforcement is either too costly, politically sensitive, or overlooked by regulators. “Legally, Pakistan does have copyright laws and has committed to international agreements, such as the Berne Convention that protect content rights,” said Hamza Nizam Kazi, a corporate and technology lawyer having experience in the telecom industry. “But enforcement has been weak or inconsistent, and in many cases, cable operators air pirated content because there’s high consumer demand.” If Pakistan is really headed toward Shariah compliance, then this ethical discrepancy has to be resolved. We cannot argue the moral high ground on interest while ignoring the theft of digital content, software, and intellectual property. In the aftermath of the Daily Dot’s exposé: Piracy functions as an invisible influencer, introducing ideas, attitudes, and images that may not be consistent with national identity or Islamic principles, in the absence of curation, oversight, or ethical filtering. In order to effectively combat digital piracy, a multifaceted approach is necessary. This approach includes