Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif will decide the fate of social media platforms like YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok during Muharram as the Punjab provincial government has sought a ban on these platforms, citing the need to curb hate speech.
Shiite Muslims hold large gatherings during the festival marking the martyrdom of the prophet of Islam’s grandson.
Muslims generally see his martyrdom as a symbol of resistance to tyranny, with Shiite Muslims rallying during the first 10 days of the month of Muharram and large processions on the 9th and 10th of the month.
Sunni Muslims have a historic theological rivalry with Shiites, and radical Sunni groups have targeted them as heretics in bombings, with Pakistan witnessing numerous such attacks in the past.
Pakistani governments traditionally take elaborate security measures during Muharram to disrupt communication between militants, including suspending internet, mobile phone and social media services to avert terrorist acts.
The Punjab government had asked the federal government to suspend access to social media from July 6 to 11 to prevent sectarian violence and curb the spread of misinformation and hate speech.
Earlier this week, the state home department, through a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs, recommended a ban on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, X, TikTok etc across the state.
The interior ministry said in an overnight statement that after a meeting held on Friday, it had deferred a decision on the Punjab government’s request.
The ministry said Prime Minister Sharif would take the final decision in the matter, adding that the provinces’ requests had neither been rejected nor accepted.
The statement did not say which provinces other than Punjab had made such a request, but suggested that Punjab was not the only one to have asked for it.
The Muharram festival is expected to begin on Sunday or Monday, provided the moon is visible.
Separately, a panel of clerics tasked with spotting the moon is due to meet tonight to decide when Muharram will begin.
(Only the headline and photo of this report may have been modified by Business Standard staff. The rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Edition: July 6, 2024 | 12:22 PM IST
