A resolution to ban Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube permanently in Pakistan “to protect the younger generation” is likely to be debated upon in Monday’s Senate session, reports Dawn.com.
The resolution will be moved by Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi, who was expelled by the PPP last month, but still remains a senator since the party has not moved a reference against him nor asked him to resign.
•”Cognizant of the fact that social media platforms are adversely affecting the young generation in the country
•Acknowledging the fact that these platforms are being used for promotion of norms against our religion and culture, creating hatred amongst the people on the grounds of language and religion
• Noting with concern on the use of such platforms against the interests of the country through negative and malicious propaganda against the armed forces of Pakistan
• Observing that such platforms are being used by vested interests for spreading fake news about various issues and try to create and promote fake leadership in the country to hoodwink the young generation
• The Senate of Pakistan, therefore, recommends to the Government to put a ban on Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter (X) and Youtube in order to save the young generation from their negative and devastating effects”, reads the resolution.
The government ban on X, formerly Twitter, following the severe public backlash on social media over the recently concluded elections which were blatantly rigged, has already enraged most Pakistanis, with many of them now using Virtual Private Networks to access X.
The fact that Tangi still officially remains a PPP senator on the senate list has been used by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf , led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, to discredit the PPP, which has tied up with its former rival Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) to form a government.
“The authoritarian government in Pakistan is on a campaign to divide the open internet into a patchwork of repressive enclaves. It has been 2 weeks that the regime has not lifted the ban on X (Twitter formerly), interestingly, the unelected government has shown no interest in lifting the ban. This only demonstrates that the government wants to create more controllable online spaces. These draconian efforts have dramatically intensified and an ongoing effort to suppress domestic dissent has accelerated. The question is, why are the authorities’ accounts still active, up and running?” asked PTI Canada on Twitter.
The authoritarian government in Pakistan is on a campaign to divide the open internet into a patchwork of repressive enclaves. It has been 2 weeks that the regime has not lifted the ban on X (Twitter formerly), interestingly, the unelected government has shown no interest in… pic.twitter.com/fGe2upmWHQ
— PTI Canada Official (@PTIOfficialCA) March 1, 2024
This forced this PPP to clarify that Tangi had been expelled from the party, and demand that he stop using the party’s name while tabling the resolution.
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