The government of Pakistan has decided to ban all social media platforms for 6 days in Pakistan in this Muharram, starting from July 13 until July 18, 2024.
Punjab’s Chief Minister, Maryum Nawaz, requested that the suspension be authorized by her uncle, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and this request was approved. This ban’s primary goal is to regulate content considered “hate material” during the delicate Muharram time of the Islamic calendar
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Major social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and WhatsApp are being targeted by the government to stop the dissemination of false information and dangerous content that could incite violence. This move comes after another one in which the government allegedly utilized social media to sabotage former Prime Minister Imran Khan and tamper with the results of the general election by blocking X, formerly Twitter, for more than four months.
Gen. Asim Munir, the chief of Pakistan’s Army, has denounced social media as a “vicious media” and underlined the necessity of stopping “digital terrorism.” To preserve public order, Ishaq Dar, the deputy prime minister, has also advocated for a total prohibition on social media. Following the April 2022 no-confidence motion that resulted in Imran Khan’s resignation, the military and administration have encountered a great deal of social media criticism. The government has responded by detaining several of Khan’s party social media activists.
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The current prohibition is a component of a larger plan to control internet material and maintain calm throughout Muharram, to lower tensions and spread false information during this important time.
