Facebook ban: LHC directs govt, IT ministry to file report by June 24

LHC seeks report and comments on a petition seeking a permanent ban on access to Facebook in the country.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday sought a report and comments from the federal government and the ministry of information technology on a petition seeking a permanent ban on access to Facebook in the country.

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed directed the deputy attorney general, Ziaul Qamar Bhatti, to file a report and the respondents’ comments by June 24, the date set for the next hearing.

The petition was filed by Advocate Mohammad Azhar Siddique who asked the court to direct the government to ban the social networking website “for hosting a blasphemous caricature drawing contests.”

The petitioner also asked the court to ban similar websites hosting blasphemous content. He said that a drawing contest was planned to be held on Facebook carrying caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and requested the court to direct the Civil Lines police SHO to register a criminal case under Section 295-C and other relevant provisions of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against the perpetrators.

The petitioner also asked the court to direct the government to establish a permanent authority to monitor ‘objectionable’ activities on the internet.