LAHORE – Almost a month after Pakistani authorities slammed a nationwide ban on the micro-blogging platform X, Pakistan’s new Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has come up with the contention that “social media is being misused” and the country must review the social media laws to “stop its misuse”.
X remains inaccessible to millions of Pakistanis since February 8, the day Pakistan went to general elections after shutting down the internet and all telecom services in the country.
Talking to journalists in Lahore, Naqvi said, “Social media laws should be envisaged. Social media is being misused. Social media regulations have been implemented across the globe.”
Naqvi said that freedom of expression should be separated from propaganda and smear campaigns against people. He said, “Everyone has the right to freedom of speech, but it should not be misused.”
Responding to a question, Naqvi said that smear campaigns against politicians, judiciary and other national institutions should be stopped. He called for implementation of social media laws in the country on the patterns of developed countries like the United States.
His statement came after Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Atta Tarar’s admission that the social networking app was suspended in the country before his party came into government. Responding to queries about the X suspension, Tarar said the platform was already banned when they came into power, but there was no official notification for the ban.
