ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday stressed that social media blasphemers could not be caught without the assistance of Facebook and other social networking websites.
Talking to the media, Nisar called on the administration of social networking websites – Facebook and Twitter – to share information about people behind blasphemous contentwith Pakistan.
Calling those committing blasphemy enemies of humanity, Nisar stated that this had become an international issue. The interior minister said that such content had been posted online for several years and it was surprising that no other Muslim country had raised this issue.
Promising to take all necessary steps against blasphemous content, the interior minister said Pakistan would represent the global Muslim community on this issue.
The interior minister said that Pakistan would be seeking legal counsel as this had become an international issue, adding that a lawyer well-versed with international law is required.
Chaudhry Nisar said that he would ensure that no innocent would be accused, while, at the same time, those committing this crime would be held accountable.
He said that he had been informed that several blogs had been taken down and he had also directed the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) to send out notices and remove the content which remained online. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on Tuesday, directed Nisar to take all possible measures to block blasphemous content on social media.
Terming ‘blasphemous’ content on social media as a “nefarious attempt to play with the emotions of the Muslims,” the Prime Minister had instructed authorities to take effective measures to remove all blasphemous content from social media and prevent any such content from circulating on the digital space in the future.
