Social media apps should be blocked if not regulated, says Punjab minister

LAHORE: Punjab Infor­ma­tion Minister Azma Bok­hari, while expressing frustration over the challenge of fake content on social media in her case, has proposed that if soc­ial media apps cannot be regulated, they should be shut down.

“The social media platforms are making money in Pakistan, but are not accountable to anyone. If social media apps cannot be regulated, they should better be shut down,” she said here on Monday.

The minister pointed out that social media was being regulated in the whole world except Pakistan.

Federal Information Mini­s­ter Attaullah Tarar last week claimed that social media platform X (formerly Twitter) had been banned due to “national security issues and not to curb freedom of expression”.

In March, in its first direct admission regarding an official ban on X, the interior ministry informed the Sindh High Court that the social media platform was blocked in February till further orders on the reports of intelligence agencies.

Access to X has been disrupted in many areas of the country since Feb 17, following the then commissioner Laiquat Chatha’s press conference against alleged rigging in the election on the Rawalpindi division seats of the National Assembly in favour of the ruling PML-N.

While the Punjab information minister had last month said the government might consider lifting the ban on X if social media rules and regulations were framed, Ms Bokhari on Monday emphasised on regulating the digital platforms. She pointed out that when social media was regulated in the entire world, then why steps could not be taken to regulate them in Pakistan.

“The social media cannot be run without regulation. Whenever we talk about regulation of social media, the talk of freedom of speech comes in the way,” the minister said.

The minister said despite her struggle for a couple of months, she still had not received any relief in ‘my fake video’ case.

“The Federal Investigation Agency officials complain that they cannot question the social media apps due to lack of capacity. This highlights the state of social media affairs in Pakistan, where everyone is free and unaccountable,” she said.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2024