Pakistan investigates social media users for anti-army posts
LAHORE: Pakistan has begun a crackdown on online criticism of its powerful military, with up to 200 social media accounts under investigation, a security official said on Monday.
The crackdown is being carried out by the civilian Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan directed it to take action against social media users posting antimilitary material.
“We have received a huge list of suspects, active against national institutions, but we have identified 18 out of over 200 social media activists,” a senior FIA official told Reuters.
“They are accused of spreading negative material against the army and other institutions,” added the official, who declined to be identified as he is not authorized to speak to the media.
At least two people have been interrogated and released, he said.
The crackdown on online dissent comes after a lengthy inquiry into a newspaper report that gave details leaked from a high-level security meeting.
Uproar over the report threatened to reopen a rift between the army and civilian government.
Nisar, in ordering the crackdown, said the security forces had to be protected.
“Unwarranted criticism of security forces and other institutions responsible for the defense of the realm is not allowed,” Nisar said in a statement last week.
The opposition Pakistani Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI), some of whose members have been investigated under a tough new cybercrime law, denounced the investigations.
“It is a violation of fundamental rights,” said PTI spokesman Naeem-ul-Haque.
In January, five activists critical of the military went missing. Four later reappeared but left the country after being accused of sharing blasphemous content online. 20 kg heroin on London-bound flight seized
Pakistani authorities found 20 kg (44 lb) of heroin on a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight bound for London on Monday during a search at Islamabad airport, a spokesman for the national carrier said.
Airline spokesman Mashhood Tajwar said in a statement authorities had planned on Monday to search four aircraft.
“From one of the aircraft destined for Islamabad-London PK785, 20 kg heroin was recovered,” he said.
After the search, the flight was cleared for takeoff and further investigations were going on, Tajwar said.
“PIA has taken a stern action to keep its fleet free from any effort of smuggling narcotics or other contraband,” he said.
In December, Pakistani authorities seized 16.7 kg of heroin on board a PIA aircraft.
Authorities in August arrested 12 PIA employees following the discovery of 6 kg of heroin on a Dubai-bound PIA plane.
On Monday last week, authorities at London’s Heathrow Airport said they found “a quantity of heroin” on a flight from Pakistan “concealed within the aircraft.”
They said no arrests had been made and an investigation had been launched.
“We do expect that investigation to have an international element,” a British National Crime Agency spokesman said.
PIA confirmed its aircraft had been searched in London, but said it had not been informed about a seizure of drugs.
The loss-making state carrier has been struggling for years.