Religious Ministry
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has formally urged the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to take stronger measures in blocking indecent and blasphemous content across social media and online platforms.
In a letter sent to the PTA on Monday, the ministry expressed serious concerns about the increasing viewership of pornographic content in Pakistan.
The ministry pointed out that Pakistan is one of the leading countries globally in terms of accessing such content, which is highly alarming, especially given its detrimental impact on public morality and the overall well-being of society.
This call for action comes on the back of the PTA’s previous efforts to curb explicit and harmful content. Earlier this month, the authority reported to the Peshawar High Court that it had blocked over 113,000 TikTok accounts for uploading explicit material.
In addition, more than 2,400 posts featuring blasphemous content had been removed. These actions were part of the government’s broader initiative to regulate content in line with local laws and societal norms.
Four years ago, the country had also banned several dating apps, including Tinder and Grindr, for failing to comply with local standards regarding “immoral content.”
Despite these efforts, the Ministry of Religious Affairs expressed concerns that pornographic and blasphemous material remains easily accessible on multiple online platforms.
The letter highlighted that such content not only violates Pakistan’s cultural and religious values but also undermines efforts to protect citizens, particularly the youth, from exposure to harmful material.
It stressed that the continuing availability of such content, despite past measures, is a serious issue and raises doubts about the PTA’s effectiveness in enforcing content regulations.
Furthermore, the ministry urged the PTA to act swiftly and comprehensively to block access to these harmful materials, stating that an expedited and more robust action was necessary. This issue has gained even more urgency considering the country’s ongoing struggle with blasphemy allegations.
A study conducted by the Centre for Research and Security Studies revealed that between 1947 and 2021, at least 89 people lost their lives due to blasphemy accusations. The majority of these incidents, over 70%, occurred in Punjab, highlighting the severity of the situation in certain regions of the country.
In light of these findings, religious minorities in Pakistan, such as Shia Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and Ahmadis, continue to face frequent threats, including accusations of blasphemy, mob violence, forced conversions, and the desecration of religious places.
In October, a member of the United Nations committee pointed out the rise of religious radicalism and its effect on the country’s minorities, emphasizing that intolerance towards religious diversity had reached alarming levels.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs’ request to the PTA represents a concerted effort to protect citizens from harmful online content while also addressing the deeper societal issues of intolerance and religious extremism.
The call for immediate action underscores the urgency of safeguarding public morality in the face of growing online threats.
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