Pakistan Cracks Down on Social-Media Critics of Military
May 23 2017 - 10:46AM
Dow Jones News
By Qasim Nauman
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan's government is cracking down on
social-media critics of the nation's powerful military, a move many
activists and opposition lawmakers say is aimed at suppressing free
speech and political dissent.
Authorities targeted 27 users on Facebook and Twitter in the
past week that allegedly criticized the military, Interior Minister
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Tuesday. Mr. Khan said eight of the 27
are being interviewed about their antimilitary posts, while the
rest are being sought for questioning. Mr. Khan said the
investigation isn't targeting the social-media platforms
themselves.
Pakistan's military has ruled the country for about half of its
70-year history and has carried out several coups. It remains a
potent force, controlling security and foreign policies. Ruling
party members say the government doesn't want to feud with the
military in the run-up to national elections in the next year, when
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seeks to be re-elected.
"The military is an institution that makes jet fighters, holds
nuclear weapons and has five hundred thousand armed men. But they
are scared of a 140 character tweet," said Jibran Nasir, a
human-rights activist. "It is obvious this is about egos, not
national security."
The military didn't respond to requests for comment.
The crackdown comes after a period of renewed tensions between
Mr. Sharif's civilian government and the military following a
report last year that he confronted the military over its alleged
support for some jihadist groups.
After the military termed the leak a breach of national
security, the government launched an inquiry that concluded this
month. Two ministers were fired, but leaders and supporters of
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, the main opposition party,
demanded stronger action.
Many PTI supporters took to social media to accuse Gen. Qamar
Bajwa, the army chief, of going soft on the government. Others,
including supporters of the ruling party, accused the military of
acting beyond its constitutional limits in pressuring the civilian
government.
Interior Minister Khan said Tuesday such comments were
"unacceptable" and that authorities will act against those that
"unjustly criticize and ridicule" the country's military and
judiciary. Mr. Khan said there are limits in Pakistan's
constitution to the freedom of expression in cases where it can
harm the country's defense and security.
Human-rights activists say the vague phrasing of the
constitutional clause about freedom of expression is often used to
curb dissent against the military and the government.
The crackdown has outraged opposition parties and human-rights
activists. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent
body, demanded an end to what it called arbitrary curbs on the
freedom of expression.
"Why are they intimidating people? They're trying to curb
people's freedom of expression. This is anti-democratic," said
Imran Khan, PTI chairman, threatening street protests if it didn't
stop.
Interior Minister Khan insisted Tuesday that the government
won't place restrictions on social-media platforms, but "there are
red lines, according to the law and constitution of Pakistan." He
said none of the social-media users questioned by authorities have
been arrested or charged with a crime yet, and that they were
allowed to have a lawyer present during questioning. Mr. Khan
denied that any of the eight social-media users was harassed.
Arslan Khalid, head of the PTI's social-media operations, said
one PTI party activists was required to hand over his mobile phones
and laptops and passwords when he was questioned. The government
also questioned some members of Mr. Sharif's ruling party, party
members said.
A Pakistani journalist, Taha Siddiqui, who reports for France 24
and other new outlets, said he filed a court complaint on Monday
after being summoned for questioning, saying he was harassed and
unable to perform his job.
His reaction came after five bloggers who posted content
critical of the state and the military went missing in January. One
of them, after returning, accused Pakistani intelligence agencies
of detaining and torturing him. The military and the government
denied that.
On the latest actions, Mr. Siddiqui said: "This is an attempt to
silence any dissent and any sort of constructive criticism of the
Pakistani military, which is a holy cow in this country. When
someone talks about it, they use different tools to silence people.
They want people to self-censor."
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 23, 2017 10:31 ET (14:31 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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