Social media: No compliance report filed in blasphemy case

IHC says authorities did not submit report in connection with court orders passed on March 31 and Aug 11

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Interior, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and others have failed to submit a compliance report sought by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in connection with several petitions filed against blasphemous content on social media a few months ago.

The details emerged on Wednesday before Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui during the hearing of a fresh petition seeking action against two men, a Muslim and a Christian, allegedly spreading blasphemous material on social media.

Justice Siddiqui noted that the authorities did not submit a compliance report in connection with the court's short and detailed orders passed on March 31 and August 11 respectively.



The court had ordered the interior ministry “to identify NGOs operating in Pakistan with an agenda to spread blasphemy and pornography, obviously with financial assistance of different groups within or outside Pakistan”.

The court had directed PTA to evolve some comprehensive and delicate mechanisms to identify the websites and pages containing blasphemous contents in order to take some remedial steps with promptitude.

On Wednesday, Justice Siddiqui once again sought a compliance report and issued notices to the respondent in the instant petition.

In the current petition, Shoaib Safdar, a resident of Islamabad, has informed the court that he came to know through social media that Muhammad Ibrahim Qadri is running a channel on YouTube and on facebook page wherein he has committed blasphemy against Hazrat Eesa and Bibi Maryam.

According to the petitioner, the suspects have also dared blaspheme the Quran, Sunnah and ideology of Islam, adding that sacrilegious images of Hazrat Eesa and Bibi Maryam have also been uploaded.

The petitioner said that another person Saime Samson, from the Christian community, on his YouTube channel has also committed blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his pious wives and the holy Quran.



In his petition, Safdar has made the Federation of Pakistan through interior secretary, deputy commissioner Islamabad, minister for information technology, DG FIA, project manager FIA, PTA chairman, inspector general Islamabad police and chairman Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority as respondents.

Safdar has also attached the blasphemous material and cell phone numbers of the suspects as mentioned on their websites. He said he filed the petition after observing blasphemous activities and non-action by the FIA.

The petitioner has prayed that the court pass an order for putting the names of the said person on Exit Control List, blocking their websites and registering cases against them under the blasphemy law.

Earlier, Justice Siddiqui had observed that availability of blasphemous material on social media has direct bearing on the integrity, security and defence of Pakistan. He added that all institutions needed to rise to the occasion in order to protect ideological and geographical boundaries of the country.



Also, the IHC had ordered the authorities concerned to include sections related to blasphemy and pornography in the Cyber Crimes Act and to enquire about the NGOs operating in Pakistan with an agenda to spread blasphemous content and promote pornography.

Justice Siddiqui had also ordered that the top leadership of the country needed to become pro-active on the issue and raise the national ‘firewall’ enabling Pakistan to monitor Pakistan’s internet traffic and all the users.

Moreover, IHC had ordered registration of cases against the alleged blasphemers, constitution of a joint-investigation team, placement of culprits’ names on the Exit Control List and utilising the whole state machinery, if needed, to remove blasphemous content from social media.

The authorities, however, were yet to file a compliance report, the court noted.