ISLAMABAD: National Counter Terrorism Authority has said more than 19,000 social media accounts had been taken down for spreading terrorism and inciting hate in the country.
The counter-terrorism agency in a statement said Google, Facebook, and Twitter had taken down the 19,727 accounts involved in spreading hate and terrorism.
NACTA said 9,633 pages were spreading religious hatred, while 10,094 social media accounts were promoting terrorism and were blocked at the request of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
Five websites, spreading terrorism-related material, were also blocked, adding a total of 24,038 social media-related complaints were filed in 2020, NACTA added.
The development comes after services of social media platforms Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Telegram were blocked for four hours in Pakistan on April 16.
The Ministry of Interior had directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to temporarily block access to social media platforms from 11 am to 3 pm on April 16. “It is requested that immediate action may be taken on the subject matter,” the ministry said.
Shortly after, the PTA released an official statement saying, “In order to maintain public order and safety, access to certain social media applications has been restricted temporarily.”
Although the notification issued by the interior ministry did not mention a reason for the suspension, the development comes after several days of unrest in the country due to protests by the recently proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
Detained TLP chief Saad Rizvi, in a handwritten note shared by Special Assistant on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill, urged his followers to maintain law and order and avoid blocking roads and highways.
The protests were organized in different cities, also caused massive traffic jams and distress to the citizens. the government had slapped a ban on the TLP. A notification declaring TLP as a proscribed organization was issued by the Ministry of Interior shortly after the federal cabinet approved a summary to ban the party.
