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The caretaker government said on Monday it had identified 500 social media accounts involved in running a “malicious campaign” against the judiciary, adding that it was also monitoring several other similar accounts.
“An investigation is under way. We are monitoring hundreds of accounts and action will be taken against them,” interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi said at a press conference in Islamabad. The minister said these accounts were being operated from both within and outside the country.
Last week, the interior ministry constituted a five-member joint investigation team (JIT) to “ascertain facts behind a malicious social media campaign” against Supreme Court judges.
The panel — formed under Section 30 (power to investigate) of the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016 — was convened by the additional director general of the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing, according to an interior ministry notification.
It also comprised representatives of the Intelligence Bureau, Inter-Services Intelligence, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and the deputy inspector general of Islamabad police. The team can co-opt any other member if required.
The JIT was formed as Pakistan’s premier legal bodies came to the aid of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and the Supreme Court against the backdrop of a “smear campaign” that erupted on social media soon after the Jan 13 judgement — when the apex court upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to revoke the PTI’s iconic electoral symbol, the cricket bat, and declare its intra-party polls “unconstitutional”.
In a press conference alongside PTA Director General Ahmed Shamim Pirzada and FIA Cybercrime Director Operations Waqaruddin Syed today, Solangi said the JIT was doing its job.
He read out loud Article 19 of the Constitution, which states that “every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, 33[commission of] 33 or incitement to an offence”.
“But there are some who spread lies as a business,” the minister lamented. He asserted that the law did not discriminate and anyone who went against it would be dealt with accordingly.
“As we head towards elections, fake ‘information’ will increase,” Solangi warned, urging the public to verify content and information before sharing it onward.
Meanwhile, PTA’s Pirzada said the authority had the right to block and remove content that was against the “interest and glory of Islam, integrity, security and defence of Pakistan, public order, morality and contempt of court” under Section 37 of Peca.
“Any person can report different types of content on the PTA website,” he said, adding that the watchdog addressed all the complaints.
Regarding social media complaints, the official said the watchdog held meetings with social media companies every three or four months during which reservations and complaints were shared. Pirzada added that as the reach of social media widened with time, there was a need for awareness pertaining to the authenticity of content.
Separately, FIA’s Waqaruddin assured that the agency was on alert and would not delay taking action against “anti-state elements”.
“We will not allow anyone to eliminate the trust of the public in state institutions and use social media applications like a weapon against the country,” he asserted, adding that all the FIA police stations had been directed to take immediate action in any such instance.
At the outset of the press conference, Solangi said that the caretakers had taken their oath under the Constitution and the country too was being run as per the Constitution. “And the preamble [of the Constitution] says that the country will be run by its elected representatives […] God willing, we are very close to that day,” he said.
“On February 8, Thursday, the people of Pakistan will elect their representatives and a new legal and constitutional government will come forth,” he added.
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