Promotion of society’s soft image: NA panel asks PTA to tap social media accountholders

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs recommended the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to invite social media accountholders having millions of followers to inspire them to focus on sharing positive aspects of society to contribute to a better society.

The committee, unanimously, agreed that any form of disrespect or disregard towards Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is absolutely unacceptable and must be addressed with firm resolve. The committee also emphasised that the protection of minority communities is equally important and should be ensured with the same vigour and seriousness.

The committee met with Rana Iradat Sharif Khan in the chair at the Parliament House, Islamabad, on Tuesday.

Syed Ali Musa Gilani suggested the committee that the PTA should invite main social media account holders including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to its office and motivate them to share positive moral character aspects for improving healthy and better society in the country. All the members agreed to the proposal by Gilani.

On this proposal, the committee chairman directed the PTA chairman to invite the social media account holders and to convince them to share positive aspects of the society. The PTA chairman ensured the committee of implementation of this proposal.

The Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs received detailed briefings from the PTA and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) regarding their ongoing crackdown on websites involved in the dissemination of “blasphemous content.”

The PTA said while briefing the Committee said that it has developed multiple complaint lodging mechanisms for the general public as well as the government organisations to lodge complaints as per their domains and scope of work. He said that a dedicated email for reporting of “blasphemous content” is also established and publicised through newspapers and digital media.

He said that a Technical System is also being used to block objectionable content over the internet. He said that the system is being used to block web content, including applications related to “blasphemy, gambling, pornography, and anti-state content”. He said that based on the complaints received and proactive approach, the PTA has blocked 105,296 URLs related to the blasphemous category uploaded on various websites, apps, and social media platforms.

The additional director of the NCCIA briefed the committee that the NCCIA is actively combating the dissemination of “blasphemous content” online. He said that the efforts encompass detection, legal action, and policy recommendations to curb such activities.

He said that the agency has apprehended numerous individuals notably, 12 individuals have received convictions from trial courts. He said that the NCCIA works in conjunction with the PTA to block or remove content deemed blasphemous. He said that a total of 1,314 accounts were blocked in 2021-2024 for containing “blasphemous material”. He said that to enhance enforcement, the FIA has set up Anti-Blasphemy Cells within its 15 Cyber Crime units nationwide. These cells act promptly upon receiving reports, utilising cybercrime technology to trace and apprehend offenders, he said.

During the meeting, the chairman emphasised that there must be zero tolerance for blasphemy, particularly against the holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and called for strict and decisive action against those responsible.

The secretary Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs briefed the committee on the integration process of the provincial grievance redressal systems-including those of AJ&K and Gilgit-Baltistan - with the Prime Minister's Citizen Portal (PCP). This integration is intended to improve coordination, streamline complaint resolution, and establish a unified, transparent, and efficient mechanism.

The meeting was attended by MNAs, Raja Qamar ul Islam, Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, Saad Waseem, Muneeba Iqbal, Syed Ali Musa Gilani, Izbal Zehri, Naveed Aamir, Dr Nikhat Shakeel Khan, Sahibzada Sibghatullah, Mujahid Ali and Ali Muhammad.

The secretary Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the chairman PTA and senior officers of the NCCIA also attended the meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025