The incidents of blasphemy allegations continue to persist in Pakistan amid Covid-19 outbreak in the country and rest of the world, Lahore, May 15.
21. Further, Muhammad Ismail’s wife, Uzlifat Ismail was denied from renewing her passport in November 2019 as her name has been placed on the Exit Control List, barring her from leaving the country. FIDH expressed belief that there is no basis for the charges against Muhammad Ismail and his wife, which appear to have been leveled by Pak authorities to silence Muhammad Ismail and his daughter Gulalai.
Such judicial harassment highlights the hostile environment for human rights defenders, journalists, and other civil society members in Pakistan to exercise their freedom of expression and criticism of the state, FIDH stressed. On April 20, 2020, Muhammad Ismail was summoned to a court hearing after the Federal Investigation Agency filed an appeal to revoke his conditional bail.
Neither he nor his lawyer were formally notified of the hearing, and they have not been given a reason why the court accepted the appeal to revoke the conditional bail. The hearing was postponed until May 18, 2020. His bank account has also been frozen by the authorities.
FIDH demanded that the authorities must immediately end the politically motivated persecution against Muhammad Ismail and his family. FIDH also called upon the authorities to take immediate steps to ensure that all human rights defenders in Pakistan can carry out their legitimate activities without any hindrance or fear of reprisals, including ending the misuse of draconian laws to target those who speak out. [fidh.org/en/issues/]
Blasphemy Allegations Continue in Pakistan Amidst COVID-19 Outbreak
22. A report in Pak media emphasized that while the COVID-19 pandemic might have halted the entire world, its gravity has largely been undermined by the Islamist narrative in Pakistan. Initially, there was a long-standing tussle with the clergy to close the mosques in the light of the pandemic, which the clerics duly won.
Parallel to this standoff, the country witnessed blasphemy allegations in the country. A report (May 5) in Pak media charged that while the entire country, and indeed the world, has been completely shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coronavirus has failed to stop the relentless spree of blasphemy allegations in Pakistan.
The most recent accusation came in Sialkot, where a football maker was accused to blasphemy on May 1 owing to a design on the ball, which members of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) deemed insulting to Islam. On May 1, the TLP joined hands with the Sunni Tehreek, to protest in numbers in Sialkot, against what they interpret is blasphemy on the part of the football maker.
This was in complete defiance of the lockdowns imposed nationwide. Instead of penalizing the Islamist hordes completely discarding social distancing, the local police registered the blasphemy case against the football maker under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code. Section 295-C mandates death penalty fro blasphemy against the Prophet.
This took place a little over two weeks after a blasphemy case had been registered against Sindhi singer Zamin Ali in the Kotri town of Jamshoro district. A local shopkeeper Muhammad Ibrahim Mashwani filed the case against Zamin Ali after watching one of his videos on Facebook, with the lyrics of the song outraging Mashwani.
[https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/05/05/covid-19-fails-halt-blasphemy- allegations-Pakistan/]
Facebook’s Transparency Report Places Pakistan as Second Worst Globally in Terms of Requests for Content Restriction
23. Of the 15,826 content restrictions made by Facebook globally during July-December 2019, Russia, Pakistan and Mexico accounted for almost half of global content restrictions, according to Facebook’s transparency report released on May 12.
The report revealed that Facebook had restricted 2,300 items within Pakistan (the second highest after Russia) during the second half of 2019. In the first half, Pakistan had reported the highest volume of content (31 percent) to Facebook. None of these items from the Facebook’s transparency report were removed for violating its content policies but under Pakistan’s cybercrime law.
The report further disclosed that Facebook had restricted access in Pakistan to items reported by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority as allegedly violating local laws prohibiting advocacy against the polio vaccine, blasphemy, anti-judiciary content, proscribed organizations supporting separatism, defamation and condemnation of the country’s independence. The company added that during July-December 2019, it also restricted access to five items in response to private reports of defamation from the Pakistan government.
24. According to the breakdown of the content restricted in Pakistan, Facebook suspended 2,900 posts, 140 pages and groups. On Instagram, the platform restricted a total of 121 items which included 116 posts and five accounts.
However, the government’s legal requests to Facebook continued to spike in the period under review, the highest ever, as Pak authorities sent a total of 2,027 requests. Pakistan sought data of 2,630 users/accounts, of which 1,878 requests were processed legally.
Facebook compiled with 52 percent of the legal requests for user data. In emergencies, law enforcement authorities may submit requests without the legal process. From July-December 2019, Pakistan sent 149 emergency disclosures.
The platform complied with 44 percent of the requests. The platform also accepts government requests to preserve account information pending receipt of formal legal process. During the period, the government sent 520 preservation requests, its highest till date, and specified 643 users/accounts.
[Dawn, May 13]
Digital Rights Defenders Questions Role Played by Pak Law Enforcement Agencies in Online Content Restriction
25. Sadaf Khan from Media matters for Democracy, an NGO working to defend freedom of expression, media rights, and internet and communications in Pakistan has raised questions on the possible role of law enforcement agencies in the content of censorship when only the courts have the right to decide that.
Sadaf Khan has alleged that Facebook has not specified exactly which content was restricted so there needs to be a debate on exactly what was illegal and under which laws and according to what exact laws were content declared illegal in the first place. She raised several other pertinent questions in this regard such as which law enforcement agencies (LEAs) decided on imposing such restrictions and what was the role of courts in the whole process.
Khan emphasized on how this process of content restriction of Facebook can be an alarming situation for journalists, political workers, and rights activists in Pakistan. Another Pakistani digital rights activist, Fariha Aziz from Bolo Bhi strongly criticized the questionable role of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
In Section 37 of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), the PTA only gives limited powers to report the content of certain categories only for restriction but as mentioned in the report that PTA also reported content that was defamatory as per their understanding but even PECA’s Section 37 asks how and why it is done? Even according to Section 20 of PECA only an aggrieved person can request for the removal of content through the courts only, said Fariha Aziz. She also referred to the IHC judgment on the case of the Awami Workers Party’s website ban by PTA and called the process illegal and unconstitutional.
[https://voicepk.net/digital-rights-activists-alarmed-at-pakistans-content-restriction-policy-for-facebook/]
Interview of G-B Based Publisher Persecuted by Pak Authorities
26. A media outlet has published an interview (May 2) of Dulat Jan Mathal, an editor and publisher from Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) who was charged and detained in 2016 for supporting and giving coverage to local nationalists, and publishing anti-state materials. He was released in 2018 after nearly two years in custody. The publication, however, continues to remain shut. The interview revealed the extent of denial of rights and lack of rule of law in G-B. Noteworthy excerpts of the interview were as follows:
(i) Mathal started publishing the monthly Urdu language Bang-e-Sahar in 2002. It was turned into a weekly publication in 2007 and daily in 2010 from GB. Besides, Baang weekly was also published from the port city in English. He also managed the Broshaal Times website. The newspaper, through its reportage and editorials exposed the scale of government and bureaucracy’s incompetence and corruption.
G-B’s disputed legal status, concerns due to its proximity with PoJK, were highlighted in the publication. Other issues relevant to the region’s masses such as human rights violations in G-B, the reasons for lack of health, education, poverty and illiteracy, and the loot and plunder saga were also covered.
(ii) The coverage led to hostilities and the authorities wanted to silence Mathal for which they chose to accuse him of treason and anti-state activities. To suppress the dissenting views, advertisements were curbed, and outstanding dues of government advertising stopped. The press in Gilgit was ordered not to print the publication, whereas its website, www.bangesahar.net, was blocked.
Mathal was put on fourth schedule of Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), and was supposed to take permission from a police officer, even for going to his own office. On October 2, 2016, an FIR was lodged against him which included sections from the ATA. Mathal was charged for editing and publishing Yaseene Brooshasky, a book by Abdul Hameed Khan, Chairman Balawaristan National Front, a nationalist party in GB.
(iii) Mathal was in Islamabad when the case was registered against him where he managed to secure a transit bail. After reaching Gilgit on the 18th of the month, he approached the Chief Court Gilgit, which ordered him to present myself before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on October 24. On October 24, police did not allow Matahl to enter the court premises and he voluntary presented himself for arrest.
The next day, Matahl was presented before an ATC judge, who remanded him into police custody until November 3. Subsequently, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) began a probe and Mathal was subjected to continuous physical and mental torture until November 14, when the court sent him to Gilgit district jail. The police did not submit a challan for about a year, although it is mandatory to submit it within 14 days. His bail application was finally approved by Chief Court Gilgit in September 2018.
During Mathal’s detention, his friends were not allowed to meet him and were warned of consequences if they did so. In the interview, Mathal charged that there is a question mark on the freedom of press in G-B. The authorities don’t want their corrupt practices to be exposed and when someone raises a voice against the injustice, he is accused of treason. [https://voicepk.net/they-will-make-an-example-out-of-us-to-crush-all-dissent/]
(Concluded)
The writer is a freelancer and a columnist.
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