Govt plans to crack down on social media defamation after Ahsan Iqbal heckling incident

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to launch a crackdown on defamation and vilification on social media after federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal was heckled in a fast food restaurant.

The incident made headlines in the media after it went viral on social media.

In the video, a family can be seen chanting slogans against Iqbal while he was queued up at the restaurant. The family subsequently apologised to him at a later date.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah chaired a meeting today, which was also attended by Federal Secretary Interior, IG Punjab, DG FIA and Acting Chairman Nadra Khalid Latif and other officials.

In the meeting, issues of harassment of citizens and uploading “immoral videos” on social media were discussed and it was decided to crack down “on those who share defamatory content on social media and impersonate others”.

The officials also deliberated on “blackmailing and character assassination of citizens”.

The participants discussed making “effective” laws to deal with cybercrime, especially harassment and uploading “insulting content”.

It was decided to constitute a working group to bring necessary amendments in PECA 2016 on the issue of harassment and defamation.

The panel will make recommendations after consultation and consensus is reached with all stakeholders.

Speaking on the occasion, Sanaullah directed strict and immediate action against those involved in cybercrime and said that tarnishing the reputation of citizens through defamatory content and character assassination is not acceptable in any case.

He said that there is a “fear of disorder and chaos” in society by spreading immoral and insulting content on social media and warned that strict action will be taken without discrimination against those involved in such crimes.

The interior minister further said that the relevant institutions should adopt a zero-tolerance policy against those who violate moral values in society.

He also advised the masses to send their complaints to the contact numbers of FIA with a directive to the relevant authorities to process them without delay.