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March 22, 2025 - Comments Off on Female TikToker Accused, Arrested for alleged Blasphemy

Female TikToker Accused, Arrested for alleged Blasphemy

A female TikTok user has been arrested and charged with allegedly making blasphemous statements on social media. A resident of the district of Muzaffargarh, the user was accused by three other locals of using what they considered to be “offensive” language in a religious capacity in a video, which they presented as evidence to the police. The case registered against her by Muzaffargarh police were filed under Pakistan’s overly broad and controversial blasphemy laws, with the specific sections being: Sections 295-A (“Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs”), and 298-A (“Uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings”)  of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

March 20, 2025 - Comments Off on Pakistani TikToker, political activist arrested for “misinformation” on social media

Pakistani TikToker, political activist arrested for “misinformation” on social media

Police in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, have made what is being reported as the first arrest since the expansion of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). A Tiktoker and political activist for the PTI party allegedly published numerous posts that allegedly shared “misinformation and negative propaganda” against senior members of the armed forces and the Chief Minister of the Punjab. As reported by TechJuice, the case was filed “under Section 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 20 of the PECA Act 2016”, “officials argue that such activity could erode public trust and fuel unrest.”

March 19, 2025 - Comments Off on Establish Dept To Tackle “Blasphemy”: Council of Islamic Ideology

Establish Dept To Tackle “Blasphemy”: Council of Islamic Ideology

The chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has told the government of Pakistan that it should establish a government department to proactively and specifically tackle what he considered blasphemy on social media platforms and websites. Speaking on the International Day Against Islamophobia, the CII chairman proposed that judges be selected to focus upon and decide alleged cases of blasphemy exclusively. Blasphemy and allegations of blasphemy are very sensitive and controversial in Pakistan, with numerous cases of people being physically attacked or even killed by vigilante mobs and lone wolves. Pakistan’s very broad blasphemy legislation carries the death penalty if one is found to be guilty of allegedly committing blasphemy.

March 15, 2025 - Comments Off on Appeal against death penalty for online “blasphemy” to be heard

Appeal against death penalty for online “blasphemy” to be heard

An appeal against the death sentence, given to a former academic in 2019, is to be heard by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on March 19. In 2013, Junaid Hafeez, a visiting lecturer in English Literature at Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan, was accused of sharing blasphemous material on Facebook. In 2014 his then lawyer Rashid Rehman was murdered in his office, and Hafeez and was given the death penalty in 2019, and has been imprisoned since.

In the wake of Junaid Hafeez’s sentencing, there have been a number of cases where people have been accused of sharing blasphemous material online, and given the death sentence or life imprisonment, as recently as 2024.

March 12, 2025 - Comments Off on Lahore High Court Orders Banning VPNs, Social Media Registration to Tackle Blasphemy Online

Lahore High Court Orders Banning VPNs, Social Media Registration to Tackle Blasphemy Online

Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments have been issued orders by the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) to immediately take action against blasphemy on social media platforms. To this end, according to Express Tribune, the court, ordered, along with the March 15th observance of “International Islamophobia Day”,

“further ordered ”the immediate termination of all types of VPNs, the registration of all social media websites, and the establishment of special courts nationwide, similar to NAB and Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs). It also ordered the appointment of dedicated judges for these courts, the creation of a special wing within the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to combat blasphemy, and the establishment of a Counter Blasphemy Department (CBD) modeled after the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).

The ruling by the LHC also instructed the Federal Investigation Agency, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, federal and Punjab governments, and the Ministry of the Interior to “identify NGOs that support the publication or uploading of such content under the guise of freedom of expression.”

March 3, 2025 - Comments Off on Police book citizen under PECA for criticising Muslim clerics

Police book citizen under PECA for criticising Muslim clerics

Pakistani police filed a report under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) against a man accused of criticising muslim clerics regarding the start of the religious month of Ramadan/Ramzan. According to Maulana Abdul Ghaffar Quraishi, the imam who brought the situation to the attention of the police, he man, from the region of Mamashkhel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had allegedly been derogatory on social media, and was also heard to have said that “the moon is of two days and the ulema of Bannu and Pakistan have deprived us (faithful) of the first fast”.

February 24, 2025 - Comments Off on Internet Shutdown in Balochistan During Protest Rallies

Internet Shutdown in Balochistan During Protest Rallies

Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a human rights organisation based out of Balochistan, has alleged that protests against the killing of Baloch youth have been hampered by authorities and that an internet shutdown had been implemented. The claim by BYC was made on Twitter/X:

“BYC Zehri and general public organized a protest rally. The rally started from Hospital road to Allah wala Chowk. However, the paramilitary forces (FC) and along with death squad members blocked the roads and hampered the rally to proceed forward. The internet was also shutdown in the entire area”, the BYC stated in a post on X.

Though NetBlocks.org have yet to confirm this particular shutdown, the province has been subject to several internet shutdowns by the authorities in the past, with the period beginning July 16  2024  and ending August 21, 2024 lasting for 864 hours. Activists and inhabitants of Balochistan have frequently protested about alleged human rights abuses in the province by the armed forces and authorities.

February 24, 2025 - Comments Off on Pak Telecommunication Authority approves two licenses for local VPN services

Pak Telecommunication Authority approves two licenses for local VPN services

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued two licenses to companies that allow them to provide VPN services in Pakistan. The “Class License” for the Provision of Data Services” was approved and issued to Zettabyte and Alpha 3 Cubic, as per TechJuice’s reporting.

As reported earlier, the local registration of VPNs is the PTA’s newest attempt to register and monitor the usage of VPNs by Pakistanis, after a proposed banning of unregistered VPNs was vetoed by the Ministry of Law in December 2024. The “Class License” is being offered by the PTA in order for companies to be able to operate legally in Pakistan, should they provide VPN and other proxy services.

February 16, 2025 - Comments Off on PECA Amendments threaten press freedom: Int’l Federation of Journalists head

PECA Amendments threaten press freedom: Int’l Federation of Journalists head

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called upon the Pakistani government to repeal the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). Meeting with members of Pakistan’s Federal Union of Journalists during their Federal Executive Council elections, IJF President Dominique Pradalié led a protest march against recently passed PECA Amendments, alongside PFUJ members its President and Secretary General. The PFUJ leadership also said that more protests wound be held by next week if the government, according to IFJ, “failed to commit to a platform benefiting journalists and media workers in Pakistan.”.

In a statement the IFJ said that:

“Journalists and media workers in Pakistan must enjoy their constitutional rights to free expression and press freedom. The IFJ continues to stand in solidarity with Pakistan’s media community in the wake of draconian amendments to the PECA, and urge authorities to repeal the legislation.

February 7, 2025 - Comments Off on Internet Disruptions and Shutdowns In January

Internet Disruptions and Shutdowns In January

Between January 11 and February 7, 2025, Pakistan continued to experience internet disruptions and censorship, as well as policy developments that severely impacted digital rights. Major cities like Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore saw heightened restrictions, with social media throttling and content censorship, particularly during political protests and demonstrations. Journalists and digital rights activists faced increasing pressure as the government introduced stricter regulations on online content.

The passage of a controversial law criminalizing “misleading” online content sparked nationwide protests, led by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). Meanwhile, ongoing internet slowdowns forced several multinational companies to reconsider operations in Pakistan, raising concerns about economic impacts.