Govt will hunt down those weaponising social media to target Supreme Court, says Solangi
Pakistan
Top officials say attempt is being to incite people to violence against state institutions
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News/Web Desk) – Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi on Monday said an organised malicious campaign had been launched to target the top judiciary on social media from within and outside Pakistan, as he promised not to spare the perpetrators.
Different organisation and law enforcement agencies, including the PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) and the FIA (Federal Investigation Agency), were busy in taking actions against hundreds of social media accounts.
Addressing a press conference, Solangi said although the court verdicts were a public property, neither the Constitution nor the law allowed such a defamation campaign, adding that effective legal action would be taken against the persons involved in the matter.
He said freedom of expression was conditional to the constitutional provisions as the document was supreme and called for discouraging the culture of promoting lies and intolerance.
Read more: All the speculation about election delay has fizzled out: Solangi
Speaking on the occasion, the PTA and FIA top officials said people were being incited to violence against the state institution and create anarchy in the country, as he promised a strict action against the perpetrators.
Answering different queries, Solangi said the law did not differentiate between the perpetrators on the basis of their status and profession, while the FIA official added that the social media accounts were being operated both from within Pakistan and foreign countries.
No one would be allowed to use social media as a weapon against state institutions, he made it clear and mentioned that the JIT (joint investigation team) was assigned with the task to identify and book the individuals targeting the judiciary.
The minister said one set of fake news promoters were those involved in the business while appearing on TV screens every night, as he called for verifying information before presenting the same as facts because their actions caused panic in the society.
JOINT INVESTIGATION TEAM
Last week, the caretaker government established a six-member joint investigation team (JIT) to "reveal the facts surrounding an alleged malicious social media campaign" against the Supreme Court judges, especially Chief Justice Faez Isa.
The campaign was launched as the country’s top court fixed the disqualification period for public representatives to five years under the amended Election Act – paving the way for three-time prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to contest the February 8 elections – and accepted the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) orders to deprive the PTI of its election symbol.
According to a notification issued by the interior ministry, the committee was formed under Section 30 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.
Headed by the additional director-general of the FIA Cybercrime Wing, the JIT comprises representatives from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Islamabad DIG, a representative from the PTA and any other co-opted member.
The notification specified that the JIT is required to submit a preliminary report to the Ministry of Interior within a fortnight, with additional support from the FIA headquarters during the investigation.
As far as its mandate, as outlined in the notification, is to "ascertain the facts behind a supposed malicious social media campaign aimed at damaging the reputation of the honourable judges of the Supreme Court."
The panel is responsible for identifying and prosecuting the culprits according to relevant laws, presenting charges in appropriate courts, and recommending measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
