NA Panel Directs Authorities to Crackdown on ‘Malicious’ Social Media Campaigns

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting took serious notice of the malicious media campaign about the parliamentary delegation’s recent visit to Canada in connection with the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC).

The committee also expressed grave concerns about the fake social media news about a secret meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Israeli officials in Doha and the malicious media campaign against flood relief activities of the UN in Pakistan.

The committee directed the Interior Secretary, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General, FIA Cyber Crime Wing Director, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman, and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Chairman to take punitive action against anti-state characters behind these social media campaigns.

The chairperson of the committee, lawmaker Javaria Zafar Aheer, pointed out that halting such media campaigns requires the cooperation of government and private media organizations as such campaigns create a trust deficit between the public and their representatives and are detrimental to the sanctity of the parliament.