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ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan confirmed on Thursday that the government will form an authority to regulate social media websites, saying that these platforms cannot be left "completely unregulated".

The response from the government spokesperson comes a day after sources confirmed to Geo News that the cabinet had approved a new set of rules and regulations that made it compulsory for social media companies to get registered in Pakistan and open their offices in the country.

Dr Firdous said that the biggest problem concerning social media websites was that there was no cell in the country to regulate these platforms.

"The government did have any other option till now as there wasn't any authority in the country [to regulate social media]," she said.

The prime minister's aide said that digital media companies were providing services in Pakistan from abroad and making money from it. She said that these companies will have to register in Pakistan and open their offices in the country.

"When these companies come to Pakistan, they will provide employment to the youth," she said. Dr Firdous said that laws cannot be made in accordance with the wishes of social media websites.

"We cannot leave these websites completely unregulated," she said. "These laws have been made to facilitate social media."

Social media companies will be bound according to law to provide data to Pakistan's intelligence agencies, LEAs

According to the laws approved by the cabinet, all global social media platforms and companies would have to register in Pakistan within three months and open offices in Islamabad within the same time period.

Digital media companies will have to appoint a representative in Pakistan to deal with a national coordination authority, which would be responsible to regulate content on social media platforms.

It further requires the companies to set up data servers in Pakistan within a year and makes it compulsory for them to provide data of accounts found guilty of various crimes — including targeting state institutions, spreading fake news and hate speech, engaging in harassment, issuing statements that harm national security or uploading blasphemous content — to intelligence and law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

Authorities would, therefore, take action against Pakistanis found guilty of targeting state institutions at home and abroad on social media. The law would also help the law enforcement authorities obtain access to data of accounts found involved in suspicious activities.

It would be the said authority's prerogative to identify objectionable content to the social media platforms to be taken down. In case of failure to comply within 15 days, it would have the power to suspend their services or impose a fine worth up to Rs500 million.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/272176-dr...e-authority-to-regulate-social-media-websites
 
"When these companies come to Pakistan, they will provide employment to the youth," she said.

So these companies are going to come and open offices in Pakistan on her demand...? :13: And if they don't, what next..
 
Freedom of the Press in Imran Khan era

Today there was a news story about Firdous Ashiq Awan bringing in a new law for social media. It again sounds like just a way to control, censor and spy on people on digital platforms. Some absurd laws as well - social media companies have to open an Islamabad office. Why? So they can control them better? What about the cost this is going to add to these social media platforms? Not good for their growth, but this doesn’t appear to be the primary concern of anyone in Pk.

Actually, IK’s government has allowed huge restrictions on the free media to take place. Is anyone else really angry about this and disappointed by IK’s silence on it all?

After their failure to control inflation, poverty and unemployment, I think this is the greatest failure so far of this government.
 
PTI govt’s social media rules will ‘cripple’ digital economy

The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) has warned that the government’s new social media rules would “severely cripple” the growth of the Pakistan’s digital economy and make it “extremely difficult” for companies to provide their services to country’s users and businesses.

In a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan dated February 15, the AIC — an association representing Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo, eBay and Apple among other industry giants and formed for promoting the understanding and resolution of internet policy issues in the Asia Pacific region — pointed out that no other country had announced such a sweeping set of rules and Pakistan risked becoming a “global outlier, needlessly isolating and depriving Pakistani users and businesses from the growth potential of the internet economy”.

Noting that the policy was prepared without any form of consultation or input from stakeholders outside the government, the association pushed for initiating a proper public consultation to ensure wider participation in developing a new set of rules.
The Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules, 2020, approved by the federal cabinet, requires all social media companies including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok to register within three months and establish their offices in Islamabad. They will have to create a data server in Pakistan within a year and block any account or prevent or remove any content that “violates or affects the religious, cultural, ethnic, or national security sensitivities of Pakistan” and is “involved in spreading of fake news or defamation”.

“The Government of Pakistan released the Rules without any form of consultation or input from stakeholders outside the government,” read the letter, penned by AIC Managing Director Jeff Paine.

“The way in which these Rules were passed is causing international companies to re-evaluate their view of the regulatory environment in Pakistan, and their willingness to operate in the country.”

The AIC observed that the rules were vague and arbitrary in nature because of the absence of public consultation.

“The lack of such discussion is problematic given that the Rules demand that social media companies deviate from established human rights practices concerning user privacy and freedom of expression,” it added.

“Therefore, we strongly urge the Government of Pakistan to initiate a proper public consultation to ensure wider participation to develop a new set of rules.”

The AIC further stated that its members wished to better understand the motivations and concerns underlying this proposal, so that they could work collaboratively with the Pakistani government on solutions.

“We recognise that governments around the world are considering how best to deal with illegal and problematic online content,” it noted.

“There’s shared agreement among governments about letting people create, communicate, and find information online, while preventing people from misusing content-sharing platforms like social media, messaging, voice or video calling applications. Therefore, AIC members have been working in consultation with governments on this challenge for years, using both computer science tools and human reviewers to identify and stop a range of online abuse.”

The association pointed out that there was much interest around the world in ensuring a safe online environment. “It is important to note in this regard that many of the ambitious conversations in this area are the subject of in-depth, evidence-based, and lengthy policy research and exchanges, where a panoply of policy solutions are being explored rather than a single, blunt legislative route.”

The AIC cited the example of the Online Harms White Paper released in the UK over a year ago, “following months of early exploration by civil servants and the stakeholder community”.

“The UK government released on 12 February 2020 its response to the consultation on the White Paper, which clarified a number of points, starting with an emphasis on the respect of fundamental human rights such as freedom of expression, the importance of transparency, and clarity and certainty for business,” it noted.

“Rather than rushing to legislate at this stage, the UK government is recommending a series of further studies, to ascertain the methods to tackle online harms most effectively in practice. It is also important to note that the UK’s efforts on Online Harms are focused on specific areas of child abuse and hate speech, rather than a very wide interpretation of online harms, which would have risked confusion and ineffectiveness through lack of prioritisation.”

The AIC observed that some within the Pakistani government had drawn parallels between its rules and Vietnam’s Law on Cybersecurity.

“It’s important to note, however, that while Vietnam’s Parliament approved the Law on Cybersecurity in June 2018, it has not yet been implemented. What’s more, a broad range of governments, industry and civil society groups have expressed grave concerns with the law and Vietnam’s proposed implementing regulations (which, again, have not been finalised or approved).”

The AIC maintained that it was not against the regulation of the social media and acknowledged that Pakistan already had an extensive legislative framework governing online content.

“However, these Rules fail to address crucial issues such as internationally recognised rights to individual expression and privacy,” the letter read.

“They also contravene the legislative enactments under which the Government of Pakistan has framed them. Neither the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-Organization) Act, nor the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA) envision the broad powers granted through these Rules. On the contrary, PECA grants safe harbour protection to intermediaries or social media platforms.”

The AIC urged the government to consider the potential consequences of the rules to prevent “unexpected negative impacts” on the country’s economy. It also hoped for an opportunity to share a more detailed feedback with the government in the near future.

The association also sent copies of the letter to Law Minister Farogh Naseem, Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman Maj (retd) Gen Amir Azeem Bajwa.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2158213/1-govts-social-media-rules-will-cripple-digital-economy/
 
Imran Khan’s puppet govt is turning into a tightly controlled Army state. Trying this level of control in 2020 is futile and will back fire.

I don’t think companies like FB, Twitter and Instagram will be opening Islamabad offices just to please Pak government. So in the end all Pak authorities can do is to block these websites ‘altogether’ or within Pak prosecute the people for posting stuff on these websites.

I don’t see any other way of exercising censorship and control on these social media platforms. Under PTI Pakistan is going backwards.
 
For example: The incident at Solis Music Festival is widely reported in International media like BBC & Gulf news:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51527039

But there is No word to be seen anywhere on the Pakistani media. Now this is just a smallish kind of thing at music festival, which has happened at many other places in the world but it shows how strictly the army wants to control Pakistans image building exercise. They can control local media but not the international press.
 
Its a step in the right direction when it comes to countering 5th gen warfare. PTM type organizations sprung up because of no regulations on social media.

It is a phenomenon world over, governments are realizing the power of internet and are actively seeking to regulate it. Germany is a recent example.
 
Greenstorm said:
Its a step in the right direction when it comes to countering 5th gen warfare. PTM type organizations sprung up because of no regulations on social media.

It is a phenomenon world over, governments are realizing the power of internet and are actively seeking to regulate it. Germany is a recent example.
Click to expand...

You have FIA cyber crime laws to deal with all this.
 
I think social media needs to be regulated as people abuse it big time. All countries should do it.

Well done.
 
Knight_Rider said:
For example: The incident at Solis Music Festival is widely reported in International media like BBC & Gulf news:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51527039

But there is No word to be seen anywhere on the Pakistani media. Now this is just a smallish kind of thing at music festival, which has happened at many other places in the world but it shows how strictly the army wants to control Pakistans image building exercise. They can control local media but not the international press.
Click to expand...

That is one stupid example- you really are desperate.
 
Knight_Rider said:
Imran Khan’s puppet govt is turning into a tightly controlled Army state. Trying this level of control in 2020 is futile and will back fire.

I don’t think companies like FB, Twitter and Instagram will be opening Islamabad offices just to please Pak government. So in the end all Pak authorities can do is to block these websites ‘altogether’ or within Pak prosecute the people for posting stuff on these websites.

I don’t see any other way of exercising censorship and control on these social media platforms. Under PTI Pakistan is going backwards.
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More rubbish- we have Geo and the other lifafas propagating stuff all day long and they are not dealt with when they should be,If Twitter is being used by PTM then it should be monitored.
 
What people are scared of is that it'll become a way to control people like in China and you shouldn't be surprised if they pick someone up on charges of disrespecting the gov/army/judiciary which I think is wrong because that's the core principal of a democracy
So before calling each other lifafas and ******* think from this angle
 
News article in Post # 5 sums it up well.

Pakistan is getting strangled by the Army stronghold in every aspect. This is not good for the country.
 
Knight_Rider said:
For example: The incident at Solis Music Festival is widely reported in International media like BBC & Gulf news:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51527039

But there is No word to be seen anywhere on the Pakistani media. Now this is just a smallish kind of thing at music festival, which has happened at many other places in the world but it shows how strictly the army wants to control Pakistans image building exercise. They can control local media but not the international press.
Click to expand...

https://images.dawn.com/news/118467...-come-forward-with-accounts-of-sexual-assault

Dawn had an article, surely this counts as media. And not sure why would Army care about this festival? it does not show them in a bad light that they would want to hide it.
 
Gharib Aadmi said:
https://images.dawn.com/news/118467...-come-forward-with-accounts-of-sexual-assault

Dawn had an article, surely this counts as media. And not sure why would Army care about this festival? it does not show them in a bad light that they would want to hide it.
Click to expand...

That’s fine. The Dawn article was posted after my comment but that’s good that the issue is getting reported.

The reason why army would be keen on suppressing negative publicity is because they don't want to portray a bad image of the dummy Civilian government, which they use as a cover for their total control of the country. Countering fake news is fine but a censorship and scrutiny of media coverage should not be acceptable. I am sure the global firms like FB, Twitter etc will refuse the control sought by Firdous Aashiq Awan.

You get my drift..
 
Knight_Rider said:
That’s fine. The Dawn article was posted after my comment but that’s good that the issue is getting reported.

The reason why army would be keen on suppressing negative publicity is because they don't want to portray a bad image of the dummy Civilian government, which they use as a cover for their total control of the country. Countering fake news is fine but a censorship and scrutiny of media coverage should not be acceptable. I am sure the global firms like FB, Twitter etc will refuse the control sought by Firdous Aashiq Awan.

You get my drift..
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On the other issues like PTM, criticizing of state institution, etc sure....And i am against this law, and the global firms should tell Awan to pound sand.


However when there is a knee jerk reaction to blame the Army for everything that is also wrong. And it hurts legitimate criticism, because it makes it appear like the ones doing the criticism are after the army.

So for this particular issue of the music festival, its not an issue of any particular political party, this happened because a lot of Pakistani guys are lowlifes. You done need to take my word for it. Ask your female relatives in Pakistan, and they will surely tell you of how many sleazy guys there are.
 
Knight_Rider said:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...elf-censorship-media-in-pakistan-under-attack

Who you think is pulling the strings behind the scenes?
Knee jerk reaction, yes possibly i give that to you but thats because of numerous examples in past like those mentioned in the article above.
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Let me put it this way. I think they meddle more than they should, but not as much as there critics say they do. That's why Pakistan is classified as a "hybrid regime". Pakistanis have more rights than 3 of their neighboring countries. Not an ideal situation, and I would love Pakistan to be as democratic as Sweden, but Pakistan is not as bad as Saudi Arabia.
 
Hybrid regime? And more rights than 3 other neighbours?

Not sure what are your sources and what’s the yard stick you are using but its a common knowledge that Army establishment’s control of power in pakistan is far greater than most other countries in the subcontinent.
Countries like Saudia and Afghanistan are a different ball game altogether and a totally different context.
 
Knight_Rider said:
Hybrid regime? And more rights than 3 other neighbours?

Not sure what are your sources and what’s the yard stick you are using but its a common knowledge that Army establishment’s control of power in pakistan is far greater than most other countries in the subcontinent.
Countries like Saudia and Afghanistan are a different ball game altogether and a totally different context.
Click to expand...

I am using the Democracy Index https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index

So they classify countries, as full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime, and authoritarian regime. Pakistan is classified as a hybrid regime. 3 of Pakistan's neighbors (Iran, Afghanistan, and China) are classified as authoritarian, so Pakistanis as per this index have more rights than people of those countries.

So one way of looking at is the glass half full or half empty. Pakistanis could have less rights than they do now. Again i would love to see a day where Pakistan has as much democracy as Sweden, but that is not realistic anytime soon.
 
Again different contexts and leaving Afghanistan aside (for obvious reasons) both Iran and China are more prosperous than Pakistan and miles ahead in terms of self sufficiency, wellbeing of their ordinary citizens and Human development.
 
this is start of authoritative way of governance. From now we cannot rely on news coming out of Pakistan. It’s detrimental in long run.
It’s fine to limit vulgarity or malicious content but this is putting a lid on freedom of speech
 
PM wants all stakeholders on board over social media rules

ISLAMABAD: Amid growing criticism of newly introduced “curbs” on social media, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to take all stakeholders on board before implementing the new rules.

Presiding over a meeting, the prime minister expressed the hope that all international social media and internet companies would continue to work in Pakistan and the government would address their grievances.

“The meeting decided that all local and international stakeholders will be taken on board on new laws before their implementation,” Information Techno*logy Secretary Shoaib Siddiqui told Dawn.

Mr Siddiqui, who attended the meeting, said the government was in close contact with international internet firms and soon their representatives would be invited to a meeting to apprise them of the laws and seek their suggestions for effective regulation of social media in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Repor*ters Without Borders (RSF) has demanded of the government to rescind its rules aimed at regulating social media, saying that regulation of social media is necessary but it should not become a disguised form of censorship.

Pressing ahead with its brazen attempts to bring the internet to heel, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government adopted the new rules — called the Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules, 2020 — in a secret memo dated Jan 28, the RSF said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

According to these rules, a copy of which was leaked last week, a “national coordinator” will be appointed by the ministry of information technology and telecommunications and, by way of “regulating” social media, he/she will be empowered to arbitrarily demand the removal or blocking of any content deemed to be “harmful”, and the deactivation of the user data encryption, it said.

“The vague and ambiguous wording used in these regulations testifies to the arbitrary nature of measures planned by the government,” said Daniel *******, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.

“We urge federal authorities to rescind these rules, which pose a major threat to journalists’ work and to respect for the confidentiality of their sources. Regulation of social media is necessary, but it should not become a disguised form of censorship.”

The RSF said that rules provided for other measures designed to step up government control over social media companies. They, it added, would have to open offices in Pakistan and could be fined up to Rs500 million for every failure to remove or block content within the stipulated deadline.

The statement highlighted that last month the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) issued what it called a “Consultation on Regulating the Web TV and Over the Top TV (OTT) Content Services”. The RSF said that in reality it was designed to extend the government’s media censorship to online video content, but was rejected as unconstitutional by the Senate Human Rights Committee, which said that Pemra did not have the authority to do this.

On Feb 15, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) — a group of several internet companies, including Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon, Airbnb, Apple, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Grab, LinkedIn, LINE, Rakuten, and Yahoo (Oath) — wrote a letter to the prime minister on Feb 15, warning him that new rules to regulate social media activity would make it “extremely difficult” for digital companies to operate in Pakistan.

Under the new rules, social media companies will be obliged to disclose any information or data to a designated investigation agency, when sought. Failure to abide by any of the provisions will entail a fine of up to Rs500 million.

In the letter, AIC managing director Jeff Paine expressed concern that unless revoked, “these rules would severely cripple the growth of Pakistan’s digital economy”.

The group pointed out that as no other country had announced such a “sweeping set of rules”, Pakistan risked becoming a global outlier, needlessly isolating and depriving Pakistani users and businesses of the growth potential of the internet economy.

The letter noted that the government had approved the rules without consultation or feedback from stakeholders and had caused international companies to “re-evaluate” their plans to operate in the country. “The way in which these rules were passed is causing international companies to re-evaluate their view of the regulatory environment in Pakistan, and their willingness to operate in the country,” it said.

Besides the AIC, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) have urged the government to reconsider its decision.

The HRCP has expressed concern over the rules under which curbs on social media will enable the designated authorities to control freedom of expression and opinion in the guise of protecting ‘religious, cultural, ethnic and national security sensitivities”. It supported the PFUJ over its criticism of the government move and called for withdrawal of these curbs.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1535362/pm-wants-all-stakeholders-on-board-over-social-media-rules
 
Disgusting policy from Imran as usual. This is against freedom of expression. Imran deserves all the abuses coming his way.
 
Pakistani government shooting itself in the foot yet again. What's the obsession of taking away other's rights? Absolutely pathetic from the PM.
 
IHC gives PTI govt 14 days to submit reply in plea against social media rules

The Islamabad High Court on Monday issued notice to the federation, and law, information and technology ministries in a petition challenging Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s social media policy.

After hearing the arguments, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah clubbed the plea with an ongoing case pertaining to media and the scope of Article 19 and 19 (a) of the Constitution.

Previously, a divisional bench had disapproved on-air discussions of sub judice matters in a contempt case against talk show hosts for implying that a ‘deal’ had been made to accommodate Nawaz Sharif’s bail plea.
Today’s hearing

The petitioner’s counsel Jahangir Khan Jadoon maintained that the Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules 2020 violated Article 19 and 19 (a) of the Constitution. He termed it an attempt by the government to stifle dissent and free speech.

Justice Minallah noted that most countries in the world have social media regulatory legislations.

Jadoon argued that the incumbent government’s policy empowered a national coordinator with more authority than even the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). “The coordinator can slap fines upto Rs500 million,” he informed the bench.

The counsel sought details of the criteria set for the appointment of the coordinator. He also lamented that the stakeholders were not consulted by the government before the drafting of the rules.

Justice Minallah observed that Prime Minister Imran Khan had already said the government was revisiting the social media rules. To which, Jadoon requested the high court seek a status report from the relevant authorities.

The bench issued notice to the federal government, and law and IT ministries clubbed the plea with a case on media regulation and adjourned the hearing till March 7.

Constitution of Pakistan

Article 19: Freedom of speech, etc
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, [commission of] or incitement to an offence.

Article 19 (a): Right to information
Every citizen shall have the right to have access to information in all matters of public importance subject to regulation and reasonable restrictions imposed by law.

Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules 2020

The Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules, 2020, approved by the federal cabinet, requires all social media companies, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, to register within three months and establish their offices in Islamabad.

They will also have to create a data server in Pakistan within a year and block any account or prevent or remove any content that “violates or affects the religious, cultural, ethnic, or national security sensitivities of Pakistan” and is “involved in spreading of fake news or defamation”.

It may be mentioned here that PM Imran directed IT ministry to take stakeholders on board before implementing the social media rules.

“The social media rules are not aimed at silencing positive criticism and political dissent,” the premier sought to clarify while presiding over a meeting on the matter. “The only purpose of introducing the rules is to protect citizens. They’ve been prepared keeping in view the need for protecting children, minorities, and religious and national security sensitivities.”

https://tribune.com.pk/story/216311...14-days-submit-reply-plea-social-media-rules/
 
IT ministry forms panel to review social media rules

ISLAMABAD: While uproar against the new rules to regulate social media continues from various segments of society, including parliamentarians, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and civil society, the information technology ministry on Friday formed a committee to review the rules.

The federal cabinet approved the rules on Feb 11, but later after opposition from various quarters, including companies that manage different social media platforms, the prime minister announced that a fresh consultation process would be launched over the Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules 2020.

The committee formed by the IT ministry is headed by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman Amir Azeem Bajwa while its members are Eazaz Aslam Dar, additional secretary of IT; Tania Aidrus, member of the Strategic Reforms Imple*mentation Unit, Prime Minister Office; and Dr Arslan Khalid, focal person on digital media at the PM Office. Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari and Barrister Ali Zafar will also be involved in consultations.

The committee will undertake broad-based consultation with relevant segments of civil society and technology companies about these rules and complete the process within two months.

The issue was also taken up at the Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation on Friday and the panel decried the formulation of the rules without taking the stakeholders into confidence.

Chairman of the committee Senator Kauda Babar said that social media was not a routine matter and concerned all segments of society.

“Since social media is becoming lifeline and even the sole source of earning for many, the rules have to take into account considerations of all segments of society,” Senator Babar said.

A member of the committee, Senator Rubina Khalid, who is also chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on IT, said that the Senate’s IT committee should have been taken into confidence when the rules were being finalised. But the rules were sent to the cabinet bypassing the parliamentary committee.

Senator Mian Raza Rabbani said that if a national institution was to be created for enforcement of social media rules, it should be created under an act of parliament.

The key opposition to the rules has come from the PFUJ which has announced its plan to hold a nationwide agitation against the rules on March 4.

The PFUJ organised a joint consultation with the Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights (PCHR) and social media experts on Friday.

The key participants of the consultation were anchors of TV talk shows who termed the rules “mother of all black laws” and alleged that the rules were being formulated to curb freedom of expression and speech in the country.

The consultation rejected the notion that rules passed by the federal cabinet were in conformity with international norms and laws of other developed countries like the United Kingdom and United States and Europe as laws to regulate social media were still under public debate in these countries.

It was highlighted that Pakistan had earlier witnessed formulation of similar “draconian” laws but the formulators had later become victim of these laws.

A resolution passed by the consultation said that the ‘black rules’ were meant to limit and snatch the space available on social media for journalists, bloggers, activists and the ordinary citizens of Pakistan.

“We will not allow such laws to be used against freedom of speech and expression guaranteed in Article 19 of the Constitution,” PFUJ Secretary General Nasir Zaidi said.

The consultation forum was addressed by journalists’ leader Afzal Butt, senior journalists and TV anchors Talat Hussain, Arshad Sharif, Asmatullah Niazi, Khawar Ghuman, Nasir Malik, Munezay Jehangir, Ammar Masood, Matiullah Jan, Zamir Haider, Asma Sherazi, Gharida Farooqi, Mubrak Zeb Khan, and Asif Ali Bhatti, Sadaf Khan of the Media Matters for Democracy and PCHR president Chaudhry Shafiq.

Apart from the local stakeholders, the Asia Internet Coalition, an industry association that promotes the understanding and resolution of internet policy issues in the Asia Pacific region, has also warned the government over the rules. The organisation wrote a letter to the prime minister soon after the rules were approved by the federal cabinet saying that unless revoked, these rules would severely cripple the growth of Pakistan’s digital economy.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1537319/it-ministry-forms-panel-to-review-social-media-rules
 
Posting 'immoral content' on social media made actionable offence under new rules

he government on Thursday announced it will take action against any individual posting "immoral content" on social media platforms under the Social Media Rules 2021 issued by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.

Federal Minister for Information and Technology Amin-ul-Haq, in a statement, said the amended rules would give Pakistani consumers "full freedom of expression" under Article 19 of the Constitution, however, the promotion of "immoral and obscene" material would be considered a felony.

The rules will act as an important bridge between Pakistani users and social media institutions, while the companies will have to abide by local laws and ensure the rights of users, the federal minister said.

The rules will ban live streaming of extremist, terrorist, hateful, obscene, and violent content, Haq said, adding that social media outlets would be required to remove content that violates Pakistan's "dignity and security".

The federal minister said in view of the new rules, negative content against people and content related to the private life of others will be banned.

Similarly, content against Pakistan's cultural and moral values, children's mental and physical development will be banned, the federal minister said.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/375819-po...media-made-actionable-offence-under-new-rules
 
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said on Friday that the greatest challenge being faced by the modern media was the dissemination of false propaganda through fake news.

Addressing a seminar on “politics and journalism in the age of fake news” organised by Arab News, he said that the phenomenon of fake news emerged after a revolution in Information Technology (IT) and an increase in the number of media platforms.

The minister said the international community would have to prepare some rules to counter fake news and the aspect of responsibility would have to be added with freedom of expression.

He was of the opinion that there was a need for widespread debate on countering fake news inside media organisations and there was a dire need for proper training for those involved in this industry.

Fawad said that a responsible media could only be called an independent media.

He said that a section of media, especially in social media, was thriving on fake news and they do not want any restriction on fake news and baseless propaganda.

The minister said that the United States, the United Kingdom and European Union had introduced online security rules and there was a need to move in this direction.

Fawad said that former US President Barack Obama rightly said in 2013 that checking the flow of information was the biggest challenge of modern times as this was being used against political parties, governments and even countries.

He said that India had used non-political incidents for gaining political advantage. The minister said that a network of over 785 fake websites being run by India was exposed last year which was linked with Indian news agency ANI and leading news channels that used to generate fake news about Pakistan and tried to malign it.

"These websites used to create and still had been creating fake news against Pakistan," he added.

The information minister said that the Indian media tried to exploit the Noor Muqaddam murder case and the Greater Iqbal Park incident to portray that Pakistan was not safe for women.

He said that it was traced that over 175 videos were generated on these incidents daily from Indian websites and tens of thousands of tweets were done and intelligence networks of some neighbouring countries supported this campaign.

He said that even Pakistani media became part of this vilification campaign without knowing the facts.

In 1996, Fawad said, India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval managed to stage a fake kidnapping of some tourists in an effort to link the Kashmir struggle with Islamic extremism.

Soon after, a vilification campaign was launched which claimed that the Kashmir freedom movement was linked to terrorism, he added.

The minister said that New Delhi had been declared as the rape capital of the world a couple of years back and India tried to build a counter-narrative to give an impression that such incidents also happened in other parts of the world.

The minister said that a twist was given to a news item and the difference between real and fake news was blurred by the people involved in this unholy business.

The minister said that when the PTI came to power in 2018, the digital media wing was very strong, adding that the government had taken steps to modernise its digital media and digitalisation of official news agency APP to ensure the presence of national perspective on social media and digital platforms.

He said that during the recent crisis in Afghanistan, contradicting news were emerging but Pakistan tried to provide correct information to both national and international media outlets.
 
There is no doubt that the press in PK is not free, ask them to report a judgement against Malik Riaz and they get collective diarrhoea
 
and the PTI govt keeps on controlling the freedom of speech in Pakistan.
 
Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday to make sure that an effective mechanism was in place to block online obscene material, saying the authority should block pornographic sites at the URL and domain level.

Chairing a meeting on blocking pornographic websites in the country, the prime minister said that the country needed to save its youth from being exposed to immoral and unethical content available online, and stressed that character building was crucial in the modern tech-savvy era.

“Character building is very crucial in modern tech-savvy era. The proliferation of tech gadgets and 3G/4G internet technology has made all sorts of content available to everyone,” he said. “We need to protect our youth, especially kids, from being exposed to immoral and unethical content available online.”

The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to ensure effective gatekeeping of the online contents to shield innocent brains against the ruthless onslaught of immoral and pornographic content.

In the meeting, which was attended by Prof Dr Attaur Rehman and other senior officers, Imran was apprised that the content delivery networks (CDNs) particularly Cloudfare, having 1-2% of total internet traffic share, had complaints of serving pornographic content, but other CDNs did serve pornographic material as per their policies.

The prime minister was also informed that the PTA needed to work with ISPs/CDNs to block pornographic content through the CDNs, particularly Cloudfare. It was stressed that the PTA also needed to enhance its warehouse management system (WMS) capability by integration with some global and regularly updated database of pornographic sites to block them at URL and domain level.

Moreover, the prime minister was informed that the PTA had been working on the feasibility of this project whose implementation time was about two months.

In January this year, the PTA had told the Islamabad High Court that it blocked 980,000 links, containing hate speech, controversial and objectionable content, saying that out of the blocked content an overwhelming majority was of pornographic material.

The authority had stated in a report submitted before the court that total 865,187 links of pornographic websites were blocked. It added that over 16,000 links of websites and blogs containing hate material against defence forces and national security and 22,000 contents pertaining to sectarianism were also blocked.

DAWN
 
President Dr Arif Alvi on Sunday promulgated an ordinance to amend the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca) as federal Law Minister Barrister Farogh warned that no one would be exempt from indulging in "fake news".

The development comes a day after the federal cabinet gave approval for a presidential ordinance to amend the Peca, 2016. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the approval for the ordinance was sought through circulation.

The ordinance, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, has been called the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022 and "shall come into fore at once".


An amendment has been made in Section 20 of Peca, increasing the jail term for defaming any person or institution from three years to five years.

Further, the complainant has been defined as the aggrieved person, his authorised representative, his guardian in case he is a minor or "a member of the public in respect of a public figure or a holder of public office". Online public defamation has also been made a cognisable and a non-bailable offence.

The definition of a "person" has been expanded to include any company, association or body of persons whether incorporated or not, institution, organisation, authority or any other body established by the government under any law or otherwise.

The ordinance also stipulated the insertion of a new section in the act under which a timeline was given for the court to wrap up the case. "The trail shall be concluded expeditiously, but preferably not later than six months of taking cognizance of the case."

The ordinance also stated that the court would have to submit a monthly progress report of any pending trial to the high court concerned and give reasons for the inability of the court to expeditiously conclude the trial.

"In case the high court finds the reasons given by the court under sub-section (2) to be plausible ... it may accept the explanation of the court, and prescribe fresh timelines for the conclusion of a trial."

On the other hand, if the high court acknowledged "difficulties, hindrances, and obstacles for concluding a trial expeditiously, which are removable by the federal or provincial government or any of its officers [...] it shall call upon the federal or provincial government or any of its officers to remove such obstacles."

It stated that where the Ministry of Law and Justice secretary of the provincial secretaries of the same ministry were of the opinion that the delay in the disposal of the trial was attributable to a presiding officer or any of its functionaries, "it shall furnish such information to the high court concerned, proposing suitable action."

It added that the high court could order disciplinary action against the presiding officer or any of the court's functionaries if they were found to be responsible for the delay in the disposal of the trial.

"The chief justice of every high court shall also nominate a judge along with other officers from the court for acting under this section," it concluded.

Law minister warns against 'fake news'
Earlier today, federal Law Minister Barrister Farogh Naseem called for rooting out the propagation of "fake news" and said that no one will be exempt from indulging in the menace under the amended laws.

Talking to the media in Karachi, Naseem said spreading fake news would be treated as a cognisable offence after the amendments to the act took effect. "It will also be a non-bailable offence with up to six months imprisonment."

In his press conference, Naseem insisted that the amended law would help curb fake news. "Whatever happened in the past is gone, now we are moving in the right direction."

Law Minister Barrister Farogh Naseem addresses a press conference in Karachi on Sunday. — DawnNewsTV
The minister explained that the law was primarily for a public figure or a public office holder, while a complaint about disinformation or false news could be filed by the public at large.

Giving an example, he said: "Suppose, fake news is spread about a veteran film actor named Nadeem. It's not necessary that Nadeem himself should turn up to lodge a complaint. Instead, anyone can approach a relevant authority with a complaint and the case has to be wrapped up within six months under the law."

The minister quoted a few recent instances wherein some dignitaries were targeted with false information. He said it was regrettable that filthy language was used against former chief justice Gulzar Ahmed a few weeks ago.

"Similarly, wrong information about the first lady made rounds that she had a bust-up [with her husband] leading her to leave her home... how can one spread such incorrect stories?" the minister wondered.

Asked whether the PTI was introducing the new law as it could feel the end of its tenure approaching and to prevent rivals from targeting the part, Naseem said that he did not believe that the government's days were numbered.

"In case we are in the opposition, then this law will obviously not be favourable for us. Hence, the idea that the government will soon go home is not correct," he said.

The minister was also asked whether he felt "disappointed" that his ministry was not ranked among the top when the prime minister awarded certificates to several ministries for their performances earlier this month.

Naseem responded in the negative, adding that the MQM-Pakistan was not competing with any ministry "at all".

Separately, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz declared that the laws that the government was passing in an attempt to "silence the media and the opposition", would eventually be used against "Imran and company".

"Don't say we didn't warn you," she said.

Contention over new regulations
The Peca was passed by the National Assembly in 2016 amid the opposition's protest.

The PML-N, which was in the government at the time, had used its majority to bulldoze the controversial bill. The opposition, meanwhile, criticised the legislation for giving the executive what it called sweeping powers that could be misused against anyone and further curb freedom of expression in the country.

The legislation stated that parody or satire-based websites and social media accounts can be proceeded against on ‘spoofing’, which makes it an offence to run a website or send information with a “counterfeit source”. It also authorised Federal Investigation Agency officers to unlock any computer, mobile phone or other device that may be required for the purpose of investigating a crime or offence, and said that defamation would be treated as a punishable offence.

In November 2020, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government framed social media laws under Peca, drawing criticism from digital rights activists, the Internet Service Providers of Pakistan and the Asia Internet Coalition, who had termed the laws draconian.

Tech companies had also threatened to discontinue their services in Pakistan if the rules were not amended, saying the regulations would make it difficult for them to continue their operations.

The rules were also challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). During one of the hearings on the petition, the attorney general had assured the IHC that the government was ready to review the rules.

In March 2021, Prime Minister Imran Khan had constituted an inter-ministerial committee to review the controversial social media rules.

The committee had prepared the rules by August and they were passed by the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases on September 23.

The federal cabinet had approved the amendments to digital media rules on September 29 and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication had notified them on November 14.

The Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2021, allowed the telecom regulator in the country to block any website or platform on the directives of court and federal government or under any law.

In a statement issued at the time, IT and Telecom Minister Aminul Haque had said under the rules, social media companies would have to abide by Pakistani laws and the rights of social media users.

He had said there would be a ban on the live streaming of extremist, terrorist, hateful, obscene and violent content, and "social media companies will be liable to remove content against Pakistan's integrity and defence."

As per the rules, the propagation of "immoral and obscene content" will also be a punishable offence, Haque had said.

"No negative content concerning any individual will be uploaded," Haque had said, adding that uploading material about someone's private life would also be banned.

Other things banned under the revised rules include "content against Pakistan's cultural and moral trends" as well as content that could "destroy" the morals and harm the mental and physical development of children.

The minister had said the rules would apply to all social media outlets including Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter and Google. He had added that after the issuance of the notification, the social media companies would be required to set up their offices in Pakistan "as soon as possible".

Social media companies were asked to register with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) within three months of the law coming into force and to appoint an authorised compliance officer and grievance officer based in Pakistan within the same time frame. These officers have to address complaints within seven working days.

The rules also direct social media companies to establish an office in Pakistan, preferably located in Islamabad, upon PTA's directions "as and when feasible". Previously, the rules required the companies to set up their offices within nine months.

Internet companies had criticised the amended version as well, noting that the most problematic provisions remained unchanged in the new draft that they said had in fact "regressed" in comparison with previous versions.

DAWN
 
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed the National Assembly speaker on Wednesday to form a committee to review the social media rules prepared by the previous government as he referred the matter to parliament for resolution.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah's order came while hearing a petition challenging the social media rules prepared by the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

The CJ remarked that, “The government has now changed and those who were in the opposition previously and were opposed to these rules, are now in power.”

“Will it not be better for the government to consult with the stakeholders and settle the issue?” he inquired, adding that this court would always prefer the correction of laws to be done by those who are in government.

Emphasising the significance of the right to freedom of expression he stated, “The court has daily been observing what is constantly being done to freedom of expression here [in this country]. The rules must clarify everything without leaving anything open-ended so that they may not be misused tomorrow.”

The CJ further directed the government to correct the rules as they had been saying when they were in the opposition.

CJ Athar Minallah called Pakistan Peoples Party’s Farhatullah Babar on the rostrum and remarked that his party was in government now. “To rectify rules according to criticisms posed in the past as members of opposition is this government’s test” he furthered.

Farhatullah Babar replied that if the court sends the matter to the parliament, it will also be a test for the present government.

The court said that the parliament should look into the matter, and that it will look at the report once it comes.

The IHC has ordered to send the matter of social media rules prepared by the previous government to the speaker and asked him to form a National Assembly committee to review the social media rules.

In April, the IHC had declared the amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) through an ordinance promulgated in February this year as “unconstitutional”.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had challenged this decision on Saturday, contending that the IHC provided the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) relief “without legal justification”, claiming that the decision will encourage violators to break the law.

Following heavy criticism, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had on Saturday ordered FIA to immediately withdraw a petition filed in the Supreme Court.

Express Tribune
 
Why the PTA’s move to register VPNs should concern us all
The issue with the PTA’s vision of the internet in Pakistan is that it only views it from a security and business lens, completely ignoring citizens' basic rights.

Internet users in Pakistan have been reacting strongly to a tweet by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority, where it was notified that “public and private sector organisations, foreign missions and freelancers, who desire to use VPN for their legitimate purpose, must register their VPN by 31st October 2022” on the PTA website “to avoid disruption”.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an application that reroutes internet traffic to a different Internet Protocol (IP) destination than the original one, thereby encrypting users’ internet traffic. VPNs make it difficult for an internet user to be spied on through surveillance tools, enable access to websites that are blocked in their own jurisdiction, and protect their basic privacy on the internet related to their personal data.

Why VPNs matter
VPNs are highly recommended by internet privacy advocates and digital security experts, especially if one is using public internet networks like airport WiFi. They are also recommended to circumvent insidious surveillance by state actors that often deploy illegal means to snoop on citizens. This includes local as well as foreign governments.

As per the National Security Agency (NSA) leaks by Edward Snowden, the United States spied the most on Iranian citizens using surveillance technology, followed by Pakistani citizens.

The Pakistani state itself has the capacity for surveillance of unencrypted internet traffic, using the Web Monitoring System (WMS) which was purchased for a whopping $18 million form Canadian firm Sandvine in December 2018.

This was bought under the garb of grey traffic reduction and paid for by internet service providers and telecom companies under the Monitoring and Reconciliation Telephony Traffic Regulations, 2010. However, deep packet inspection — which is the technology bought from Sandvine for WMS — is a dual use technology that is also effective in surveillance and censorship of the internet.

There are strong reasons to believe the blocking of YouTube twice in the past month were done through the WMS as Internet Service providers (ISPs) did not receive instructions from the PTA to block the video sharing platform. The WMS, meanwhile, does enable the PTA to block websites and applications at the internet gateway level without the cooperation of ISPs.

The PTA had passed VPN regulations in 2010, however, the text of it is not publicly cited in any of PTA’s press releases issued earlier this month, or in 2020 for that matter. The motivation behind VPN registration also seems to be whitelisting of IPs to curb grey traffic, but what is being ignored is the impact on users’ privacy.

It is also unclear what the PTA means by “to avoid disruption”. Do individual VPN users also have to register? Will any VPN services not registered with the PTA cease to function?

Upon registration of a VPN, the PTA will have access to information regarding the VPN being used, and also enable them to request data regarding the user from the VPN service provider, especially if users are using free services.

Censorship woes
The censorship of websites in Pakistan has also been a major issue of contention. The PTA claims it only blocks websites with “objectionable content” such as pornography and blasphemous content. However, what we have seen over the past few years is that a lot of political content gets blocked by the authority without prior intimation.

The Awami Workers Part (AWP) which is registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had its website blocked by the PTA prior to the 2018 elections without any notice or reason. The AWP had to approach the Islamabad High Court which ordered the PTA to unblock its website.

The website for Slate magazine — a US based current affairs publication — is also blocked and I, as a writer, am unable to access an article that I wrote for Slate on censorship by technology platforms globally. Medical websites have also reportedly been blocked. When I had filed a right to information request in 2013 with the PTA, requesting a list of blocked websites, the authority not only took very long to respond, it ultimately denied the request, citing security reasons.

Such lack of transparency is a threat to our democracy.

Flawed vision
The issue with the PTA’s vision of the internet in Pakistan is that it only views it from a security and business lens, completely ignoring citizens’ basic right to freedom of speech, right to privacy, and right to access to information, which are protected by the Constitution.

Pakistani citizens have their mobile sim cards linked biometrically to their identity, their mobile phone sets are registered with the PTA under their name, their internet connections are registered with the PTA including their IP addresses, VPNs have to be registered, there was an effort to centralise the domain name system (DNS), hundreds of websites are blocked, the Web Monitoring System is used to carry out surveillance of social media users as submitted by the PTA in the Islamabad High Court, and on top of this, blocking of social media applications such as YouTube and TikTok is a constant looming threat.

There is a pressing need for policymakers and legislators as well as the judiciary to understand the functioning of the internet so that efforts to control it in a Big Brother fashion can stop. Pakistanis deserve the right to private communication because vulnerabilities expose them to threats from bad actors and foreign governments other than just our own.

If it must, the state should only carry out surveillance under the law, having followed due process, including obtaining warrants from the court. The current practice of unbridled spying by the state also enables certain elements to use these powers and tools to blackmail opponents and actors unconstitutionally as we have seen throughout history, but even more so in the recent past.

And the first step has to be transparency regarding moves, as well as consultation with stakeholders before such wide-ranging measures are imposed on everyone.

What the PTA needs is a vision of the internet as an open space that Pakistanis can use to connect, communicate, be entertained, and use to progress further. Pakistani freelancers are some of the most active in the world, and the country’s IT exports are constantly rising. Let’s accelerate this rise rather than make efforts to slow it down in the name of security.

DAWN
 
Govt gives FIA more powers: Social media hatemongers to get seven years in jail
The FIA has been authorised to take action against ones involved in spreading hateful content on social media

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet Wednesday approved an amendment imposing seven-year imprisonment on those spreading hateful content on the social media.

Under the amendment, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been authorised to take action against such individuals. The proposal has also recommended the inclusion of Section 505 of Pakistan Penal Code into the FIA Act. Once the amendment is approved, the FIA will also have the authority to take action on any kind of fake news and rumours on social media.

The cabinet approved the amendments to the FIA Act through a summary moved via circulation. The final approval of the amendment will be taken by parliament, reports Geo News.

In February this year, President Arif Alvi had approved an ordinance of a similar nature proposing amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, (PECA) 2016. The ordinance was signed by the president when the Imran Khan-led government’s cabinet had approved it.

The law, back then, proposed a five-year sentence for criticising state institutions, including the Pakistan Army, judiciary and others on electronic media. However, in April of this year, the Islamabad High Court had declared the ordinance “unconstitutional” and directed the federal government to probe abuse of the law and submit a report.

The media bodies had challenged the “draconian law” in the IHC following countrywide protests. Journalist associations, including the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), the Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) and some senior journalists of the country, had filed the petition through senior lawyer Munir A Malik.

The News PK
 
A comprehensive report that explored in detail the complex relationship between human rights and information and communication technologies in Pakistan in 2022 was launched on Monday, with its findings highlighting that the country remained among the world’s worst performers in terms of internet access and digital governance.

The report, titled ‘Pakistan’s Internet Landscape 2022’, was authored by Chief Digital Strategist and Editor at Dawn.com Jahanzaib Haque and released by human rights and advocacy organisation Bytes For All.

It said, “In terms of internet access and overall governance, Pakistan made some gains, but in the context of the world, the country remains among the worst performers, even within just Asia.”

In this respect, it highlighted that despite an increase in internet penetration, approximately 15 per cent of the population still lacked access to the internet and mobile or telecom services.
 
Every other day, the government is blocking the internet in Pakistan. It seems to me that we are under a dictatorship. The government wants to decide what to watch or what not to watch. And such a situation is also affecting productive activities.
 

A poor and bad third world country tactic​

=====

X reportedly blocked in Pakistan for third day​

Services of X, formerly Twitter, are reportedly facing disruptions in Pakistan for a third day. Multiple reports have come in about people not being able to access the social media platform, even with the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPN).

Source: The Express Tribune
 
Blocking Twitter in Pakistan is disappointing for me. it limits the basic right to express our opinions freely and calling into question our commitment to democratic values.
 
The Bald Eagle said:

A poor and bad third world country tactic​

=====

X reportedly blocked in Pakistan for third day​

Services of X, formerly Twitter, are reportedly facing disruptions in Pakistan for a third day. Multiple reports have come in about people not being able to access the social media platform, even with the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPN).

Source: The Express Tribune
Click to expand...
The Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered the restoration of all social media apps, including X (formerly Twitter), while hearing petitions against the shutdown of internet services on the election day in the country.

A two-member bench, headed by SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmad Abbasi, heard the petitions on Wednesday, expressing concern over the widespread shutdown of internet services during the crucial election period.

Amid political, economic and security challenges coupled with rigging allegations arising out of February 8 elections, the government’s fear of dissent forced it to take X as a threat and shut it down without giving any reasons.

It’s not the only one, as other social media applications, cellular services and internet frequently face blackout, leaving from the president to experts and media to common man to question the unannounced disruption and dub it an attempt to silent dissent.

The SHC chief justice made sarcastic remarks directed at the public prosecutor, commenting on the alleged irregularities in the election process.

"You guys have conducted a very good election," said Chief Justice Abbasi, addressing the public prosecutor, highlighting the criticism and allegations of irregularities raised by national and international observers and media outlets.

The chief justice further remarked, "You shut down the internet...you did not allow people to contest elections. You people did not allow anyone to run an election campaign," suggesting that the internet shutdown may have hindered the democratic process.

During the hearing, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority's (PTA) counsel stated that the instructions to shut down internet services came from the Ministry of Interior, and they were merely implementing those instructions.

Questioning the rationale behind the internet shutdown during an election, the court raised concerns about the impact on the democratic process. The PTA counsel reiterated that they followed the instructions received from the interior ministry, emphasising the security concerns associated with running a smooth election.

Responding to the PTA counsel's explanation, Chief Justice Abbasi made another sarcastic comment, stating, "A very good election has been conducted by you people, and there is a lot of buzz going on all over the world. Before things get out of hand, try to fix them beforehand. You guys do your job better; we'll do ours."

The court subsequently ordered the restoration of all social media apps, including X, and adjourned the hearing until March 5. The court sought an explanation from the concerned authorities regarding the suspension of internet services on the election day, urging transparency and accountability in the matter.

Express Tribune

tribune.com.pk

SHC orders restoration of social media apps including X | The Express Tribune

‘You guys have conducted a very good election,’ quips CJ Abbasi while addressing public prosecutor
tribune.com.pk tribune.com.pk
 
I appreciate the Sindh High Court's decision to order the restoration of social media apps, including X. Kudos to the court for standing up for the people's right to information and expression.
 
Internet closure costing telecom companies Rs940 million every day

Access to internet and social media sites has been restricted in Pakistan in recent days without explanation or prior notice from authorities. However, what is known for certain is the monetary effect of the issue on Pakistan’s economy.

Internet closure and restriction affects multiple sectors of the economy. It is estimated that online cab companies lose upto 97% of their business while food delivery companies also lose almost 75% of their work on such days.

However, telecom industry has been the worst affected by far. A single day of internet closure can cost the industry losses of Rs940 million.

The suspension of 3g and 4g services alone causes a loss of Rs450 million to the telecom companies.

Additionally, online cab companies lose upto Rs30 million ahiel food delivery companies can lose upto Rs150 million in a single day.

Meanwhile, the government’s exchequer also loses around Rs330 million within 24 hours.

The matter of internet restriction made it to the Sindh High Court on Monday, where Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi made strong remarks on the closure of internet during elections.

When the state’s counsel told the court that internet was restricted due to security reasons, the judge remarked that everyone in the country understands the reasons behind the restrictions.

He also remarked that the government should have made better plans and that the internet closure was making a mockery out of Pakistan in the entire world.


www.aajenglish.tv

Internet closure costing telecom companies Rs940 million every day

Food delivery and cab companies also lose millions
www.aajenglish.tv
 
X Outage In Pakistan Triggers Surge In VPN Use

Internet users in Pakistan are turning to virtual private networks to access the social media platform X after the site was blocked over the weekend following a contentious national election and admission of ballot fraud by a local government official.

"Pakistan’s latest clampdown on social media is a continuation of a broader trend of limiting internet access and undermining digital rights in the country,” Lauren Hendry Parsons, a privacy advocate for ExpressVPN, told Forbes in a statement. “It’s another example of a global decline in internet freedom as more countries have become more comfortable enforcing internet shutdowns.”

The recent restrictions on social media in Pakistan began on Saturday, when a government official admitted he'd help to manipulate the results of a nationwide Feb. 8 election. Liaqat Ali Chattha, the commissioner of Rawalpindi, said he would hand himself over to police after he'd "personally supervised" the switching of 70,000 votes. The fraud admission came one week after an extremely contentious national election that saw Khan jailed ahead of the vote and charges dropped against the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, who is the preferred candidate of the Pakistan military. After Khan was sentenced, use of the PTI symbol to identify party candidates on national ballots was banned—a move slammed as an access issue for the roughly 62% of the country who cannot read—and all PTI candidates were forced to run as independents. PTI-backed candidates did gain more votes than those of any other party, but because each candidate ran as an individual, PML-N was the largest single-party winner in parliament. Both groups have claimed victory, and Sharif said he plans to form a coalition government. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has demanded an inquiry into the claims of election rigging, according to the Times of India.

5. That's how many times Pakistan has implemented internet restrictions so far this year, according to Surfshark. Of those, three took place in February and were directly related to the elections. The other two occurred in January during virtual events organized by PTI. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Wednesday urged the Pakistani government to "restore access to any social media that has been restricted, including Twitter." Elon Musk, the owner of X and the world's second-richest person, has not commented publicly on the outage.

Those who have been able to access X have lashed out at Umar Saif, Pakistan’s interim technology minister, after he posted several times on the platform after the outage began, which implies he used a VPN to skirt government wishes. Saif has posted original content to X four times and retweeted one post since Feb. 18, including a post flaunting the growth of Pakistan's IT industry. None of his posts referenced the outage. "Sir which vpn you're using to tweet this?" one X user asked. Anas Mallick, a reporter with WIONews, responded to a post Wednesday with "please let us know what VPN are you using to tweet this for the benefit of general public."

Pakistan isn’t the only country to have VPN use surge following a change in policy. Nord Security said traffic surges like the ones seen in Pakistan this week were also observed in 2022, when news emerged China was considering taking full control of Hong Kong, and in the United States in 2017, when the FCC repealed net neutrality rules. Similar spikes also occurred in the United Kingdom in 2016 when the country passed the so-called "Snoopers' Charter" law, which allows the government to collect online information on its citizens and have it stored by private companies.

Forbes

www.forbes.com

X Outage In Pakistan Triggers Surge In VPN Use

X, formerly known as Twitter, has been blocked for Pakistani citizens for five days as of Thursday following reports of election fraud in the country.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
 

RIP Twitter​

====

X platform disrupted in Pakistan for full week​

Nationwide disruption to social media platform X passed the one-week mark in Pakistan on Saturday, with digital rights monitors warning outages were quashing dissent after an election marred by rigging claims.

The platform, formerly known as Twitter, was downed last Saturday after a senior government official made a public admission of vote manipulation in the February 8 poll.

Over the past week, it has been operational only intermittently, with access varying depending on the internet service provider.

"Pakistan's directed use of network shutdowns and restrictions to overtly target political parties and the reporting of election irregularities is unprecedented," Alp Toker of the NetBlocks web watchdog told AFP.

AFP staff reported that X remained disrupted in the capital Islamabad as well as the megacities of Lahore and Karachi on Saturday.

Source: The Express Tribune
 
A resolution calling for a permanent ban on social media has been submitted in the Senate by Senator Bahramand Tangi, a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The resolution is set to be discussed in the upcoming Monday session.

Senator Tangi's resolution contends that there is a growing concern about social media being utilised to spread negative and malicious propaganda against the Pakistan Army, ultimately working against the interests of the country. Additionally, it raises alarm over the perceived negative impact of social media platforms on the nation's youth.

According to Senator Tangi, social media is being exploited to promote ideas that contradict the religious and cultural values of Pakistan, and he asserts that this, in turn, harms the interests of the country through the dissemination of damaging propaganda against the Pakistan Army.

The resolution's text explicitly accuses 'self-interested elements' of using various social media platforms to spread fake news on a range of issues. It further alleges that social media is contributing to the deception of the young generation by promoting what it terms as 'fake leadership'.

The resolution recommends that the Pakistan government impose a ban on major platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and YouTube.

Senator Tangi's resolution advocates for the prohibition of social media platforms to shield the young generation from what he perceives as their negative and destructive effects.

tribune.com.pk

PPP senator seeks ban on social platforms | The Express Tribune

Resolution moved by Bahramand Khan Tangi says social media is maligning armed forces
tribune.com.pk tribune.com.pk
 
Yes, absolutely, there is already an economic crisis. Now, let's add Pakistan to the digital crisis as well.
 
FearlessRoar said:
A resolution calling for a permanent ban on social media has been submitted in the Senate by Senator Bahramand Tangi, a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The resolution is set to be discussed in the upcoming Monday session.

Senator Tangi's resolution contends that there is a growing concern about social media being utilised to spread negative and malicious propaganda against the Pakistan Army, ultimately working against the interests of the country. Additionally, it raises alarm over the perceived negative impact of social media platforms on the nation's youth.

According to Senator Tangi, social media is being exploited to promote ideas that contradict the religious and cultural values of Pakistan, and he asserts that this, in turn, harms the interests of the country through the dissemination of damaging propaganda against the Pakistan Army.

The resolution's text explicitly accuses 'self-interested elements' of using various social media platforms to spread fake news on a range of issues. It further alleges that social media is contributing to the deception of the young generation by promoting what it terms as 'fake leadership'.

The resolution recommends that the Pakistan government impose a ban on major platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and YouTube.

Senator Tangi's resolution advocates for the prohibition of social media platforms to shield the young generation from what he perceives as their negative and destructive effects.

tribune.com.pk

PPP senator seeks ban on social platforms | The Express Tribune

Resolution moved by Bahramand Khan Tangi says social media is maligning armed forces
tribune.com.pk tribune.com.pk
Click to expand...

These politicians want us to go back to the PTV era where we only listen good news about our government.
 

We expect this step from India against Kashmiris but unfortunately observing it in Pakistan​

======

HRCP warns Senate against imposing social media curbs​

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has “strongly opposed” a resolution brought in the Senate seeking a ban on all social media.

In a statement on X, it warned the Senate members that “any such ill- judged measures that violate people’s constitutional right to freedom of expression also represent an erosion of democracy”.

Highlighting that such a resolution was “as nonsensical as it is impractical”, the HRCP said: “Any attempt to curb digital freedoms wholesale betrays a shocking ignorance of how modern democracies and economies function.

“Finally, successive governments have frequently and arbitrarily shut down social media for ‘security concerns’ even prior to the 2024 elections. There is no evidence to suggest that such a step has made society any safer,” it added.

“Regrettably, giving the state a free hand to regulate social media is futile it has always perceived this responsibility as an opportunity to censor and dissenters,” the HRCP stated.

Source: Dawn News
 
FearlessRoar said:
A resolution calling for a permanent ban on social media has been submitted in the Senate by Senator Bahramand Tangi, a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The resolution is set to be discussed in the upcoming Monday session.

Senator Tangi's resolution contends that there is a growing concern about social media being utilised to spread negative and malicious propaganda against the Pakistan Army, ultimately working against the interests of the country. Additionally, it raises alarm over the perceived negative impact of social media platforms on the nation's youth.

According to Senator Tangi, social media is being exploited to promote ideas that contradict the religious and cultural values of Pakistan, and he asserts that this, in turn, harms the interests of the country through the dissemination of damaging propaganda against the Pakistan Army.

The resolution's text explicitly accuses 'self-interested elements' of using various social media platforms to spread fake news on a range of issues. It further alleges that social media is contributing to the deception of the young generation by promoting what it terms as 'fake leadership'.

The resolution recommends that the Pakistan government impose a ban on major platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and YouTube.

Senator Tangi's resolution advocates for the prohibition of social media platforms to shield the young generation from what he perceives as their negative and destructive effects.

tribune.com.pk

PPP senator seeks ban on social platforms | The Express Tribune

Resolution moved by Bahramand Khan Tangi says social media is maligning armed forces
tribune.com.pk tribune.com.pk
Click to expand...
Senator Bahramand Tangi on Monday withdrew a resolution seeking ban on social media from the upper house of the Parliament.

The Senate session met with the deputy chairman in the chair. After criticism, Senator Bahramand Tangi withdrew his resolution seeking a ban on social media to “save the young generation from their negative and devastating effects”.

Senator Tangi said the tabling a resolution on any matter is the right of the members of the upper house of the Parliament, however, he is withdrawing the resolution.

At this juncture, the opposition tried to comment on the issue, but the deputy chairman denied the permission by saying the resolution was withdrawn, hence, no discussion could be held on it.

Earlier, the Senator, in his resolution, expressed concern over the use of such platforms against the “interests of the country through negative and malicious propaganda against the armed forces of Pakistan”.

He observed that such platforms were being used by vested interests for spreading fake news about various issues and try to create and promote fake leadership in the country to hoodwink the young generation.

“The Senate of Pakistan, therefore, recommends to the Government to put a ban on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter (X) and Youtube to save the young generation from their negative and devastating effects,” it concluded.

arynews.tv

Senator Bahramand Tangi withdraws resolution seeking ban on social media

ISLAMABAD: Senator Bahramand Tangi on Monday withdrew a resolution seeking ban on social media from the upper house of the Parliament. The Senate session
arynews.tv arynews.tv
 
The resolution has been withdrawn, but X is still banned in Pakistan.
 
You guys should be quite worried. I've heard it mentioned now in multiple articles and heard it in a couple of interviews that Pakistan is either trying to replicate or have itself included in the Great Chinese Firewall. If the establishment does manage that, all the freedom that the Pakistan based posters on here have to comment on the Army etc. will be a thing of the past. I know folks are able to mask themselves today using VPNs but that would be impossible if the government/establishment manages this.

The issue though is deeper than that. The Chinese Firewall has been finetuned over the years to act as a scalpel rather than a blunt instrument. If you avoid political or sensitive content, you'll face few issues accessing information and content on day-to-day stuff. If Pakistan tries to force fit this, it could result in major disruption because it takes time for such tools and their regulators to learn what is to be filtered and what allowed. Stuff like research, learning etc. could be hampered.
 
FearlessRoar said:
The resolution has been withdrawn, but X is still banned in Pakistan.
Click to expand...
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed a hearing for Tuesday to address a petition filed by a citizen against the unofficial suspension of the social media platform X nationwide, Express News reported.

The petition, lodged in the Islamabad High Court by the citizen through legal representatives, seeks the court's intervention to lift the ban on X and reinstate its services fully.

The petitioner argues that the continuous suspension of X since February 17 violates Article 19 of the Constitution. The petition identifies the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information as respondents.

IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq is set to preside over the hearing, according to the list issued by the Registrar of the IHC. Notices have been dispatched to the relevant parties concerning the case.

Access to the social media giant has been blocked since Feb 17 as allegations of rigging during the Feb 8 general elections continue to make news.

UK-based Alp Toker, the director of NetBlocks, said X disruption in Pakistan could have millions of dollars in economic impact in the region.

"The disruption to X in Pakistan could have an economic impact in the region of $50m, based on our COST outage disruption impact estimator. This takes into account lost productivity and lost business and investment opportunities," Toker said in a statement sent to Anadolu.

Ban was imposed after an elections officer in Rawalpindi, Liaqat Ali Chattha, publicly claimed to have allegedly changed election results in his area. It soon went viral on social media.

"Metrics show that X/Twitter remains restricted in Pakistan into a tenth day, as the nation joins an exclusive set of countries that have imposed extended or permanent bans on international social media platforms," said Internet monitor NetBlocks on February 26.

According to Digital Rights activists, millions of internet users in the country have experienced service interruptions five times during the last two months, including on election day, i.e., February 8.

"PTA [Pakistan Telecommunication Authority] usually issue some kind of a statement whenever they block social media platforms however this time, PTA has not said anything officially about why Twitter or X is offline and when it will be restored," Sadaf Khan, digital rights campaigner, told Anadolu.

"This all adds to an environment of uncertainty where, obviously, people are unable to trust the government. They're unable to trust the state," she added.

Both the PTA authorities and IT ministry declined to comment, while the interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

This is not the first time Pakistani authorities have suspended internet or social media platform services.

Last year, people experienced disruption of internet and broadband services four times, which caused heavy losses to the country.

Last May, when the authorities suspended internet and social media services in the country after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, which caused violent protests, it caused a $30 to $35 million loss to the IT sector in just one week, according to the Pakistan Software House Association.

According to PTA data, there are 190 million mobile cellular subscribers and 129 million mobile broadband subscribers, which is around 230 million people in Pakistan.

According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, the percentage of broadband internet users in Pakistan is 49.08% – 108 million subscribers.

The overall internet penetration in Pakistan is around 52%, which saw the IT sector increase its exports by 47% during the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Given the surge in e-commerce, Amazon has also added Pakistan to its sellers list, enabling it to sell on the e-commerce platform.

However, experts have warned that the suspension of internet and social media platforms causes economic losses to the country when many people use them for online businesses.

"Although X isn't the most popular social media platform in Pakistan, it is a significant force, particularly in the media and information technology sectors. It's also the primary means to reach an international audience," NetBlocks founder Alp Toker said.

Toker also warned that these restrictions and telecom blackouts on election day would be a "red flag" for most investors.

The restrictions on social media platforms affect their users and owners of small or big online businesses and cause huge difficulties for journalists to get timely information.

"Social media platforms are a big source of information for not only its users but also for journalists as most institutions, government ministers, officials, politicians and others posting their statements, etc. on social media platforms," said Islamabad-based journalist Zahid Shah.

"If the government blocks our access to these platforms, then how can we access authentic information," he added.

A senior official in the IT ministry also endorsed Shah's complaint and said they "never want to shut down the internet or social media platforms in the country."

"No country wants to shut internet or social media platforms as it causes damage to the country's reputation and also causes economic losses, but sometimes governments do it because of security situations," the official told Anadolu on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak with media.

Digital Rights activists believe that the vacuum and gap created by such actions "can easily filled by disinformation."

"So, on the one hand, we have an erosion of the information ecosystem and on the other hand, and we have a rise in the mistrust for the government; both of this combined obviously creates a lot of instability and uncertainty which can't be good for any society or any democratic system," said Sadaf Khan.

tribune.com.pk

IHC to hear petition against unofficial suspension of X | The Express Tribune

Chief Justice Aamir Farooq set to preside over hearing on Tuesday
tribune.com.pk tribune.com.pk
 
FearlessRoar said:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed a hearing for Tuesday to address a petition filed by a citizen against the unofficial suspension of the social media platform X nationwide, Express News reported.

The petition, lodged in the Islamabad High Court by the citizen through legal representatives, seeks the court's intervention to lift the ban on X and reinstate its services fully.

The petitioner argues that the continuous suspension of X since February 17 violates Article 19 of the Constitution. The petition identifies the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information as respondents.

IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq is set to preside over the hearing, according to the list issued by the Registrar of the IHC. Notices have been dispatched to the relevant parties concerning the case.

Access to the social media giant has been blocked since Feb 17 as allegations of rigging during the Feb 8 general elections continue to make news.

UK-based Alp Toker, the director of NetBlocks, said X disruption in Pakistan could have millions of dollars in economic impact in the region.

"The disruption to X in Pakistan could have an economic impact in the region of $50m, based on our COST outage disruption impact estimator. This takes into account lost productivity and lost business and investment opportunities," Toker said in a statement sent to Anadolu.

Ban was imposed after an elections officer in Rawalpindi, Liaqat Ali Chattha, publicly claimed to have allegedly changed election results in his area. It soon went viral on social media.

"Metrics show that X/Twitter remains restricted in Pakistan into a tenth day, as the nation joins an exclusive set of countries that have imposed extended or permanent bans on international social media platforms," said Internet monitor NetBlocks on February 26.

According to Digital Rights activists, millions of internet users in the country have experienced service interruptions five times during the last two months, including on election day, i.e., February 8.

"PTA [Pakistan Telecommunication Authority] usually issue some kind of a statement whenever they block social media platforms however this time, PTA has not said anything officially about why Twitter or X is offline and when it will be restored," Sadaf Khan, digital rights campaigner, told Anadolu.

"This all adds to an environment of uncertainty where, obviously, people are unable to trust the government. They're unable to trust the state," she added.

Both the PTA authorities and IT ministry declined to comment, while the interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

This is not the first time Pakistani authorities have suspended internet or social media platform services.

Last year, people experienced disruption of internet and broadband services four times, which caused heavy losses to the country.

Last May, when the authorities suspended internet and social media services in the country after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, which caused violent protests, it caused a $30 to $35 million loss to the IT sector in just one week, according to the Pakistan Software House Association.

According to PTA data, there are 190 million mobile cellular subscribers and 129 million mobile broadband subscribers, which is around 230 million people in Pakistan.

According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, the percentage of broadband internet users in Pakistan is 49.08% – 108 million subscribers.

The overall internet penetration in Pakistan is around 52%, which saw the IT sector increase its exports by 47% during the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Given the surge in e-commerce, Amazon has also added Pakistan to its sellers list, enabling it to sell on the e-commerce platform.

However, experts have warned that the suspension of internet and social media platforms causes economic losses to the country when many people use them for online businesses.

"Although X isn't the most popular social media platform in Pakistan, it is a significant force, particularly in the media and information technology sectors. It's also the primary means to reach an international audience," NetBlocks founder Alp Toker said.

Toker also warned that these restrictions and telecom blackouts on election day would be a "red flag" for most investors.

The restrictions on social media platforms affect their users and owners of small or big online businesses and cause huge difficulties for journalists to get timely information.

"Social media platforms are a big source of information for not only its users but also for journalists as most institutions, government ministers, officials, politicians and others posting their statements, etc. on social media platforms," said Islamabad-based journalist Zahid Shah.

"If the government blocks our access to these platforms, then how can we access authentic information," he added.

A senior official in the IT ministry also endorsed Shah's complaint and said they "never want to shut down the internet or social media platforms in the country."

"No country wants to shut internet or social media platforms as it causes damage to the country's reputation and also causes economic losses, but sometimes governments do it because of security situations," the official told Anadolu on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak with media.

Digital Rights activists believe that the vacuum and gap created by such actions "can easily filled by disinformation."

"So, on the one hand, we have an erosion of the information ecosystem and on the other hand, and we have a rise in the mistrust for the government; both of this combined obviously creates a lot of instability and uncertainty which can't be good for any society or any democratic system," said Sadaf Khan.

tribune.com.pk

IHC to hear petition against unofficial suspension of X | The Express Tribune

Chief Justice Aamir Farooq set to preside over hearing on Tuesday
tribune.com.pk tribune.com.pk
Click to expand...
Justice Amir will give a verdict where the citizen will be hanged
 
Banana Republic for a reason
====

X’s disruption in Pakistan reaches three-week mark: Netblocks​


Microblogging website X (formerly Twitter) has now been restricted in Pakistan for three weeks, according to Internet tracking organisation Netblocks .

“The popular microblogging platform has been largely unavailable since 17 February following a series of social media shutdowns targeting political opposition and an election day telecoms blackout,” Netblocks said in a post on X.

Source: Dawn News
 
Amnesty international urges 'immediate' restoration of X in Pakistan

Amnesty International, along with a coalition of human rights activists and civil society organisations, has called for the immediate restoration of social media platform X (formerly Twitter), blocked in the country since February 17.

X has been inaccessible since former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Chattha resigned over what he said was alleged “election rigging” in the Rawalpindi division. The platform ban came after the blockage of mobile phone services on election day - February 8.

"The arbitrary blocking of platforms, including the prolonged and unannounced disruption of "X" (formerly known as Twitter) since 17 February 2024, is a sobering illustration of growing digital censorship in the country," said the statement.

The international non-governmental human rights organisation's statement highlighted the detrimental impact of internet shutdowns and social media platform blocking on political discourse and the free flow of information, particularly in the lead-up to and following crucial electoral processes.

"Such actions not only silence diverse political voices but also create an environment which contributes to the spread of misinformation."

The Amnesty International statement comes amidst mounting concerns over the erosion of freedom of expression and access to information in the country.

The human rights organisation also criticised the "complete silence of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)" and termed it extremely alarming as the authority failed to furnish any reasons for the ban and "exceeded its mandate to block an entire internet platform".

"The absence of transparency in the decision-making processes surrounding network shutdowns and platform blocking and complete disregard for any accountability has resulted in an obvious erosion of trust between the state and its citizens," added the statement.

Elaborating on the concerns, the organisation said the reported throttling of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) further impedes people's access to information and infringes upon their right to privacy.

Amnesty International and its partners called for immediate action to reverse the course of digital censorship in Pakistan.

Specifically, Amnesty International urged the government to unblock X, repeal censorship-enabling laws such as Section 37 of The Prevention of Electronic Crime Act(PECA), and act transparently on decisions impacting internet usage for political and economic purposes.

Additionally, the human rights organisation and other signatories of the statement demanded a clarification outlining the legal basis for recent platform blockages and a commitment to upholding Pakistan's international obligations to freedom of expression and access to information.

The incoming government, regulators, and public bodies were implored to recognise the enduring impact of actions that restrict the flow of information and impede citizens' ability to express themselves, particularly concerning political participation.

Pakistan entered on Saturday its fourth week of nationwide disruption to social media platform X, with activists waging a court battle to get it restored.

SOURCE: EXPRESS TRIBUNE
 

A poor tactics on the part of the establishment​

=====

PTI’s Raoof Hasan decries ‘shameful ban’ on X for a month, calls for immediate restoration​

PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan has termed it “shameful that X has remained blocked in the country for over one month now.”
“We fully endorse 28 civil society organisations’ demand for immediate removal of ban on the social media platform allowing free flow of information as should be the case in a democratic country,” he wrote in a post on X.

The statement by organisations had said: “We urge the incoming government, regulators and other public bodies to recognise that any action that affects the flow of information and limits has a direct and lingering impact on citizens’ human rights including the right to political participation.”

Signatories include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, the Pakistan Press Foundation and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.

Source: Dawn News

https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sha...awn.com/news/1822305&display=popup&ref=plugin
 

X already banned when new govt took over: Information Minister Tarar​

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Monday acknowledged that social media platform X was already banned when the new government took over the reins from the caretaker setup, saying there was no official notification for the clampdown.

Access to X has been disrupted in many areas of Pakistan since February 17, when former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Chattha accused the chief election commissioner and chief justice of Pakistan of being involved in rigging the February 8 general elections.

Similar disruptions were also observed during the general elections.

The information minister had himself pushed back last week against the disruption and claimed X was still working, calling on those questioning otherwise to present a notification for the ban.

However, in an interview today with media platform World Echo News, Tarar contrasted his own statement, saying: “Twitter was already banned when we came into government. There is no official notification for it but obviously, everyone can see that its signal and frequency are not working as normal and it is being used through virtual private networks. This is correct.”

The information minister suggested that there should be a charter on “dos and don’ts of the red lines that should not be crossed”, adding that political parties should discuss issues such as misogynistic abuse of women, cursing and mockery of martyrs, etc

“I think there is a need for a charter and it will be a good thing if it happens.”

www.dawn.com

X already banned when new govt took over: Information Minister Tarar

Says there is no official notification for the clampdown but it is apparent for everyone to see.
www.dawn.com
 
Now they are in the government and now they should be taking responsibility of such things happening in the country.
 
What a poor decision on his part
=====
Interior minister urges review of laws governing social media
Interior and Narcotics Minister Mohsin Naqvi has urged to review laws governing social media in light of the prevailing disruption of X.

Speaking to the media in Lahore today alongside PPP leader Ali Haider Gilani, the security czar gave an example of how the US House passed a bill to ban TikTok.

“In a country like the US where such things (ban) are taking place, we will also need to review our law and make sure that there is ‘no ban’ on the freedom of expression,” Naqvi added.

The interior minister emphasised that the misuse of social media which results in levelling unfounded allegations “needs to be kept in check”.

Source: Dawn News
 

Once upon a time we had an app named X in Pakistan​

======

PTA chairman to raise disruption of X with interior ministry​

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman retired Major General Hafeezur Rehman has said he will raise the issue of the closure of social media platform X with the interior ministry.

In a telephonic conversation with Dawn.com, he said: “Either the matter should be cleared or someone should take responsibility for it. The closure of social media forums is always directed by the interior ministry.”

When asked whether any instruction was issued regarding shutting down X in the country, the PTA chairman stated that there is just confusion for now.

“I have asked my staff that my internet is working even though I do not have a VPN,” he said, referring to a virtual private network.

Source: Dawn News
 

Naqvi urges new laws for online speech​

LAHORE: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Tuesday the country needed better laws to regulate internet free speech, as disruption of social media platform X stretched into its fifth week.

Islamabad has declined to clearly say whether it is behind nationwide restrictions to the platform, formerly known as Twitter, which have left it rarely accessible since February 17.

Pakistan's polls earlier that month were marred by allegations of rigging, and the outages began after a senior government official made a public admission of vote tampering.

Speaking to the media in Lahore alongside PPP leader Ali Haider Gilani, the security czar gave an example of how the US House passed a bill to ban TikTok.

“In a country like the US where such things (ban) are taking place, we will also need to review our law and make sure that there is ‘no ban’ on the freedom of expression,” Naqvi added.

The interior minister emphasised that the misuse of social media which results in levelling unfounded allegations “needs to be kept in check”.

"We need to make better laws," the minister said when asked whether his ministry was responsible for the X shutdown.

"Expression is fine, but making false allegations against people is wrong -- it's happening and needs to be fixed."

"We must reassess our own laws and look into what is being misused," he told the media.

X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok were key planks in the election campaigning of jailed ex-prime minister and popular opposition leader Imran Khan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Major General (retd) Hafeezur Rehman said that the authority had not received any written order from the interior ministry regarding the closure of X. “There is just confusion for now,” he told a local website.

While answering a question regarding Information Minister Attaullah Tarar’s acknowledgement of the closure, Rehman stated that Tarar should be questioned for any information on X.

The PTA chairman said he would raise the issue of the closure of social media platform X with the interior ministry, the website reported. “Either the matter should be cleared or someone should take responsibility for it. The closure of social media forums is always directed by the interior ministry.”

When asked whether any instruction was issued regarding shutting down X in the country, the PTA chairman stated that there is just confusion for now. “I have asked my staff that my internet is working even though I do not have a VPN,” he said, referring to a virtual private network.

The former cricket star was barred from running and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was subject to a sweeping crackdown of arrests and censorship ahead of February 8 polls.

tribune.com.pk

Naqvi urges new laws for online speech | The Express Tribune

Interior minister stresses that misuse of social media 'needs to be kept in check'
tribune.com.pk tribune.com.pk
 
hassan918 said:

Naqvi urges new laws for online speech​

LAHORE: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Tuesday the country needed better laws to regulate internet free speech, as disruption of social media platform X stretched into its fifth week.

Islamabad has declined to clearly say whether it is behind nationwide restrictions to the platform, formerly known as Twitter, which have left it rarely accessible since February 17.

Pakistan's polls earlier that month were marred by allegations of rigging, and the outages began after a senior government official made a public admission of vote tampering.

Speaking to the media in Lahore alongside PPP leader Ali Haider Gilani, the security czar gave an example of how the US House passed a bill to ban TikTok.

“In a country like the US where such things (ban) are taking place, we will also need to review our law and make sure that there is ‘no ban’ on the freedom of expression,” Naqvi added.

The interior minister emphasised that the misuse of social media which results in levelling unfounded allegations “needs to be kept in check”.

"We need to make better laws," the minister said when asked whether his ministry was responsible for the X shutdown.

"Expression is fine, but making false allegations against people is wrong -- it's happening and needs to be fixed."

"We must reassess our own laws and look into what is being misused," he told the media.

X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok were key planks in the election campaigning of jailed ex-prime minister and popular opposition leader Imran Khan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Major General (retd) Hafeezur Rehman said that the authority had not received any written order from the interior ministry regarding the closure of X. “There is just confusion for now,” he told a local website.

While answering a question regarding Information Minister Attaullah Tarar’s acknowledgement of the closure, Rehman stated that Tarar should be questioned for any information on X.

The PTA chairman said he would raise the issue of the closure of social media platform X with the interior ministry, the website reported. “Either the matter should be cleared or someone should take responsibility for it. The closure of social media forums is always directed by the interior ministry.”

When asked whether any instruction was issued regarding shutting down X in the country, the PTA chairman stated that there is just confusion for now. “I have asked my staff that my internet is working even though I do not have a VPN,” he said, referring to a virtual private network.

The former cricket star was barred from running and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was subject to a sweeping crackdown of arrests and censorship ahead of February 8 polls.

tribune.com.pk

Naqvi urges new laws for online speech | The Express Tribune

Interior minister stresses that misuse of social media 'needs to be kept in check'
tribune.com.pk tribune.com.pk
Click to expand...
they r the actual beneficiaries of this tweeter outrage n now pretending to be a freedom frighter of internet.
 
TrentDevil said:
ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan confirmed on Thursday that the government will form an authority to regulate social media websites, saying that these platforms cannot be left "completely unregulated".

The response from the government spokesperson comes a day after sources confirmed to Geo News that the cabinet had approved a new set of rules and regulations that made it compulsory for social media companies to get registered in Pakistan and open their offices in the country.

Dr Firdous said that the biggest problem concerning social media websites was that there was no cell in the country to regulate these platforms.

"The government did have any other option till now as there wasn't any authority in the country [to regulate social media]," she said.

The prime minister's aide said that digital media companies were providing services in Pakistan from abroad and making money from it. She said that these companies will have to register in Pakistan and open their offices in the country.

"When these companies come to Pakistan, they will provide employment to the youth," she said. Dr Firdous said that laws cannot be made in accordance with the wishes of social media websites.

"We cannot leave these websites completely unregulated," she said. "These laws have been made to facilitate social media."

Social media companies will be bound according to law to provide data to Pakistan's intelligence agencies, LEAs

According to the laws approved by the cabinet, all global social media platforms and companies would have to register in Pakistan within three months and open offices in Islamabad within the same time period.

Digital media companies will have to appoint a representative in Pakistan to deal with a national coordination authority, which would be responsible to regulate content on social media platforms.

It further requires the companies to set up data servers in Pakistan within a year and makes it compulsory for them to provide data of accounts found guilty of various crimes — including targeting state institutions, spreading fake news and hate speech, engaging in harassment, issuing statements that harm national security or uploading blasphemous content — to intelligence and law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

Authorities would, therefore, take action against Pakistanis found guilty of targeting state institutions at home and abroad on social media. The law would also help the law enforcement authorities obtain access to data of accounts found involved in suspicious activities.

It would be the said authority's prerogative to identify objectionable content to the social media platforms to be taken down. In case of failure to comply within 15 days, it would have the power to suspend their services or impose a fine worth up to Rs500 million.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/272176-dr...e-authority-to-regulate-social-media-websites
Click to expand...
Very bad move by Pakistan government… there are many Pakistanis media peoples who are giving clear image of Pakistan to the outside world……. YouTube creators like Sana Amjad, sohaib choudhary are doing marvellous job. On one hand digital creators are being awarded in India and on other hand it they are about to get banned.
 
Internet blackout is coming. This government cannot handle the criticism already and will try to ban the whole social media so that the world stays uninformed of what is going on in this country.
 
Internet freedom becoming non existent in Pakistan
====
How long can govt hide behind ‘all is well on X’ mantra?

KARACHI: After being grilled by the courts over the unannounced curbs on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), government institutions seem to have adopted a fresh tactic: pretending as if nothing has happened.

“They’re taking us to be fools… The ban is not only unconstitutional and illegal, but it’s also shrouded in mystery,” says Abdul Moiz Jaferii, one of the petitioners challenging the disruption before the Sindh High Court, which is scheduled to be taken up by the court again today (Wednesday).

Recalling a recent hearing of his petition, Mr Jaferii related how an official from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) tried to mislead the court by opening X on his phone and pretending as if everything was working normally.

“This seems to be their new strategy: pretend nothing is happening. They manipulate courts into believing there was never a loss of freedoms, branding it as mass paranoia.”

But when the judge in question, SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, asked the petitioners whether the PTA claim was accurate, they informed the court that the official was doubtlessly using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access the website, which remained inaccessible to the public at large.

Source: Dawn News
 
X banned on interior ministry’s instructions following intelligence agencies’ reports, PTA informs SHC

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) that the ban on social media platform X across the country since February 17 was imposed on orders issued by the Ministry of Interior following reports given by intelligence agencies.

The X website has been largely offline since February 17, with occasional service restorations, mainly after former commissioner Rawalpindi Liaquat Ali Chatta made a statement in front of the media claiming that the “elections were rigged”.

On Tuesday, PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman declared that he would raise the issue of X’s disruption with the interior ministry.

In a telephonic conversation with Dawn.com, Rehman, a retired major general, said: “Either the matter should be cleared or someone should take responsibility for it. The closure of social media forums is always directed by the interior ministry.”

A two-member SHC bench comprising Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmad Abbasi and Justice Abdul Mubeen Lakho today clubbed together four petitions, filed by lawyer Jibran Nasir, journalist Zarrar Khurho and others, against internet disruption at various times.

In the hearing, the PTA submitted in court a copy of a letter dated Feb 17 sent by the Ministry of Interior to the telecommunication authority, which instructed it to block social media platform X “immediately till further orders” but did not mention the reasoning for doing so.


www.dawn.com

X banned on interior ministry’s instructions following intelligence agencies’ reports, PTA informs SHC

A Feb 17 letter submitted by PTA in high court reveals that instructions to block X were issued by interior ministry without citing a reason.
www.dawn.com
 
PHC puts govt, telecom regulator on notice over X restrictions

The Peshawar High Court on Thursday directed the federal government and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to respond to a petition against restrictions on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in the country.

A bench consisting of Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Wiqar Ahmad issued the order after holding a preliminary hearing into the petition of lawyer Nouman Muhib Kakakhel, who requested the court to declare that the “systematic disruptions and blocking” of X service is unconstitutional and a violation of the fundamental and legal rights of the people at large, including him.

The petitioner requested the court to order the complete restoration of X service in the country.

He also sought interim relief through orders for authorities to restore X service until the disposal of his petition.

The respondents in the petition are the federal government through the secretary of the Cabinet Division, the secretary of the ministry of information technology and telecommunication, and the PTA through its chairman.

During the hearing, the bench wondered whether the high court could look at the matter as the Sindh High Court had already issued certain orders in an identical case.

The petitioner said the high court’s orders were applicable to that province.

However, the bench observed that if the high court issued an order to a federal institution, then it would be applicable across the country.

It decided to seek the formal response of the respondents to the petition.

Mr Kakakhel said X was a social media micro-blogging platform used by public personalities, journalists, multinational companies, government departments, officials, and the public at large in the country to express their views, make announcements, and share ideas, and that restrictions on it were unconstitutional and unlawful.

He added that X was also a source of news, entertainment, a marketing tool for businesses, and an opportunity to connect and converse on various topics as a global community.

Mr Kakakhel pointed out that the telecom regulator PTA neither issued any notification about the systematic disruptions and blocking of X service in the country nor did it specify any reason for it.

He said that Pakistan’s population mostly consisted of youth, who depended on information technology for learning, information, and livelihoods due to a lack of resources.

The petitioner contended that the media—the fourth pillar of the state—was powerful and effective like others, including the executive, judiciary, and legislature, as it helped form public opinions by providing the latest information to the people.

He claimed that social media had taken over a lion’s share of the space previously occupied by the traditional media and provided the people with an opportunity to express their opinions about every national issue.

Mr Kakakhel contended that if “miscreants” misused social media platforms in the country, they could be taken to task by the Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber-Crime Wing and other authorities, but blocking access of the entire population to the social media platform was unjustified and against the law.

He said the country had various laws under which those acting against national security or the interests of the state, judiciary, or any national institution, could be charged and punished in accordance with the law.

SOURCE: DAWN
 
The interior ministry has decided to “temporarily suspend mobile services” tomorrow in parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on account of Pakistan Day (March 23rd)

Sources told ARY News that the ministry has taken the decision in light of the “deteriorating security situation”.

The mobile services will be temporarily suspended in the areas adjacent to the parade ground in Shakar Parian and some parts of Rawalpindi. “Phone services will remain suspended from 6am to 2pm,” sources claimed.



ARY News
 
What intermet freedom when there's barely any Internet available in the country in the first place.

Any occasion in PAK and they're still suspending internet and phone signals for days on end and this is the so called 21st century.

They're still struggling to get 3G and 4G in most parts of the country whereas the rest of the world is on 5G or more.

In PAK, internet is a hassle and expensive where as in India it's a basic thing and dead cheap or even free in some places.
 
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