PTI takes offence to ‘digital terror’ neologism

Party says making free speech a punishable crime not in country’s interests

ISLAMABAD:

The PTI has taken exception to the military leadership’s reference to a “digital terrorism unleashed by conspirators,” noting that attempts to make freedom of speech a punishable crime and to label it as “digital terrorism” are neither in the interest of the country nor of state institutions.

The 265th Corps Commanders’ Conference, held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) on Friday, noted with concern the unwarranted criticism of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam by some quarters and the “deliberate misrepresentation of the vision only for furthering their vested interests.”

The forum had also underscored that the onslaught of politically-motivated digital terrorism, “unleashed by conspirators, and duly abetted by their foreign cohorts,” against state institutions was meant to induce despondency in the nation and sow discord by peddling blatant lies, fake news, and propaganda.

However, according to the Inter-Services Public

Relations (ISPR) press release, “the armed forces along with the nation are fully aware of all such machinations and stand united and committed to defeating the notorious designs of the enemies of Pakistan.”

Responding to the statement, an unnamed PTI spokesperson on Saturday issued a statement that began by praising the “unwavering commitment” of the Pakistan Army to find a lasting and durable solution to the challenges facing the country, while staying within its “constitutional limits.”

However, the statement noted that currently, Pakistan is grappling with these challenges mainly due to deviations from the Constitution, the illegal use of force against citizens, and the prioritization of personal interests over national interests.

“The destructive decision-making process, inadequate information, and policies revolving around personal opinions and interests, instead of national interests, are proving to be deadly for the country and the nation.

“Constitutionally, after the sovereignty of Allah, the powers vest with the people, and they have the basic right to criticize state decisions and their policies constructively,” he added.

The spokesperson made it clear that attempts to make freedom of speech a punishable crime and to label it as “digital terrorism” are not in the interest of the country or state institutions because it would open the door to using extra-legal measures against critics.

“The culture of taking the criticism of the people and political parties in a constructive manner is indispensable to getting the country out of crises instead of considering their decisions as divine orders. The tradition of imposing decisions on the nation by bypassing the parliament and the elected representatives of the republic has made the country prone to accidents.”

He reaffirmed that the entire nation is united on the issue of combating terrorism effectively, but it is essential to align the priorities of the law enforcement agencies with the basic objective.

He lamented that the country, the nation, and innocent citizens are paying a heavy price for the contradictions between the current situation of terrorism and the state counter-terrorism policy.

Over the past seven decades, and particularly during the last two decades, the nation has supported its forces at every stage and sacrificed thousands of precious lives to eradicate the scourge of terrorism.

“No army in the world can succeed against any challenge without the support and backing of its people. State institutions can only achieve true success by respecting the will of the people and giving the constitution its due place,” he added.