LHC Asks PTA About Action Against Blasphemy
THE Lahore High Court has ordered Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Director Telecom Wireless to inform the court about the steps they have taken so far to remove blasphemous material from different websites and make it inaccessible in the country.
Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry of the LHC passed the order while hearing a writ petition seeking permanent ban on Facebook, a social networking website, for again holding a competition of blasphemous nature namely “Everybody Burn Quran Day”.
On the court’s notice, Mudassir Hussain, Director Telecom Wireless, appeared before the court on Wednesday. He told the court that owners of the Facebook through an e-mail had informed him on July 22 that they had removed objectionable material from the site. He said objectionable pictures had also been removed from Wikipedia, Youtube and all other websites.
Defending the Facebook, Mudassir said there were some other websites which displayed such material but no one raised voice against them. He added that prime minister had constituted Inter Ministerial Committee in 2006 to keep check on website and the committee was empowered to ban the site. He pointed out that petitioner should inform committee for removal of such objectionable material form the internet. Muhammad Azhar Siddique, petitioner counsel, rejected Mudassir’s arguments, stating that objectionable material was still accessible on Facebook and other sites. He said in previous hearings the director had undertaken before the court that they would block hatred material within twenty-four hours after its display. At this, the judge directed the director to inform the court about the steps they took to block the objectionable material from internet. On the request of the director, the judge gave time for filing reply in three weeks. On the request of the deputy attorney general, the judge ordered to connect two other petitions, pending before the court on the same matter, with this petition. The judge was holding hearing of a petition filed by Judicial Activism Panel seeking permanent ban on the website.
The website had already faced an interim ban by the LHC in the country for holding a blasphemous caricature competition of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Azhar Siddique argued that information ministry and PTA officials had assured LHC on May 31 that blasphemous and objectionable material would be removed from all sites including Facebook but the respondent authorities had failed to do so. Failure on the part of Pakistani authorities encouraged owner of website Facebook, as they had again announced a contest named “Everybody Burn-Quran Day” and also displayed blasphemous pictures of Khana-e-Kaaba.
He said no person was allowed to interfere in religious affairs of other person, as under United Nations convention on civil & political rights every country was bound to pass legislation to stop religious hatred. Likewise, Human Rights Commission of UNO had passed resolution on “Combating Defamation of Religions” and under which no one could air religious hatred or objectionable material against any religion.
The petitioner said Facebook might be permanently blocked/banned in Pakistan for airing and placing objectionable and blasphemous caricatures of our Holy Place Khana-e-Kaaba and be permanently restrained from committing blasphemy in Pakistan.
(Source: TheNews)
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