Legislation needed to control the misuse of social media: Senator Rehman Malik
Newswire
Islamabad: Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator A. Rehman Malikthis week attended the meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting.
On the agenda item of pension, Senator Rehman Malik expressed concerns and annoyance over the Ministry of Information Technology and telecommunication and the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) for not paying the due amount to its pensioners despite Committee clear directions and Senate decision.
He advised to forward a complaint against its management for not following the recommendations of the Senate, Senate Committee and also not obeying the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He suggested the committee take stern action against those involved in siphoning off the PTET’s assets. He said “I suggest that after the due procedures we should forward the case to FIA. This is essentially needed as the PTET board and the PTCL management are not even following the decision of Supreme Court, Senate house and this committee to pay the pensions as per law”.
While expressing his grave concerns over the misuse of social media in the country he said that thousands of fake social media accounts are running for different malicious purposes and spreading blasphemous and highly objectionable materials to create uncertainty and chaos among the public. He said that many are operating social media accounts with different names including the names of politicians are also used.
He said that we had arranged hardware for Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) that such objectionable and hatred materials could be removed and the accounts could be blocked immediately however about the fate of hardware PTA can tell either it is operating or still under process. He said that a fake Twitter account is being run in the name of Aitzaz Ahsan on Twitter about which, he has lodged a complaint with the FIA and PTA several times but several months passed and the said fake account in Aitzaz Ahsan is still active and spreading materials with his name. He said that he as Chairman of Senate Standing Committee on Interior has also taken the notice of the said fake account and has sought a report from FIA for discussion in the upcoming meeting.
Senator A. Rehman Malik urged that now is the need of time for legislation on social media to control such things adding that strict legal action should be taken against those violating cyber laws of the country.
He suggested that while dealing with social media we should replicate the model of Saudi Arabia and UAE wherein all mediums of social media are in the control of government and even a single blasphemous word can’t be posted. He said that even calls on WhatsApp and other social mediums are controlled in UEA and Saudi Arabia. He said that strict action should be taken against those who post and spread blasphemous, sectarian, offensive, and objectionable material. He expressed that no Muslim can bear Blasphemous words about our beloved Prophet (PBUH). He said that government should talk to social media operators to open their offices in Pakistan that it could be made possible to remove such objectionable material immediately.
Senator A. Rehman Malik said that revelation by Disinfolab EU and Arnab Goswami’s WhatsApp chat leaks have exposed that Indian PM Narendra Modi was propagating against Pakistan while using the soils of European Union and other countries. He said that India successfully launched a conspiracy with billions of dollars to spread fake news and propaganda against Pakistan which was duly exposed by DisinfoLab EU as the ‘Indian Chronicles’. He urged that this is a perfect and foolproof case against India to be agitated in the UNSC for the necessary legal proceedings against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his baseless allegations against Pakistan. He once again urged that the government should take up this charge sheet to the International Criminal Court for the trial of PM Narendra Modi, his Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat and all Indian authorities responsible for war crimes in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir.
He said, “I am glad to know that now some of our Ministers are also stating that Narendra Modi face is fully exposed before the world. Yes he is exposed and that I have been doing for years”. He asked when the government of Pakistan is going to file a petition against Modi as war criminals for his crimes against humanity in Indian Occupied Kashmir and committing cybercrimes against Pakistan violating the soils of other countries. He said that in this regard he has already sent irrefutable evidence to Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the form of a Charge Sheet against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
