The religious affairs ministry has urged the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to block indecent and blasphemous content on social media and online platforms.
“It has been learnt with serious concern that Pakistan is one of the leading countries in terms of viewing pornographic content, which is highly alarming, especially in light of its negative impact on public morality and well-being of our society,” the ministry said in a letter to the PTA on Monday.
Earlier this month, the authority told the Peshawar High Court that it had blocked around 113,133 TikTok accounts for uploading explicit videos. An additional 2,463 posts featuring blasphemous material were also blocked.
Four years ago, the country blocked Tinder, Grindr and three other dating apps for not adhering to local laws as part of its move to curb online platforms deemed to be disseminating “immoral content”.
Despite the PTA’s measures to block such content in line with the Supreme Court orders (January 2016, May 2016 and March 2018), the letter said that it has been observed that “pornographic and blasphemous material is still readily accessible” on multiple online platforms.
According to the ministry, online access to such content “violates the cultural and religious values” and undermines efforts to protect citizens, particularly young people, from exposure to harmful material.
It added that such a situation raised “serious concerns” regarding the adherence to the directives of the Supreme Court and the authority’s “ability to effectively enforce” content regulations.
“Given the sensitivity of the issue, the PTA is once again requested to take all necessary and available measures to block and restrict access to pornographic, blasphemous, and other harmful online content at the earliest timeframe. An early and prompt action is requested.”
A study conducted by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, published in 2022, highlights the severe consequences of blasphemy accusations in Pakistan. Between 1947 and 2021, the report found that 89 individuals were killed due to allegations of blasphemy. Throughout this period, approximately 1,500 accusations were documented.
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The study revealed that more than 70 per cent of these blasphemy cases, totalling 1,098, occurred in Punjab province. In contrast, Sindh reported 173 cases during the same timeframe.
In October, a United Nations committee member pointed out that religious minorities such as Shia Muslims, Christians, Ahmadis, Hindus and Sikhs were subject to frequent attacks and threats, including accusations of blasphemy, targeted killings, lynchings, mob violence, forced conversions and desecration of places of worship.
“The society has become increasingly intolerant of religious diversity. The minorities are facing a constant threat of persecution and discrimination amid the rise of religious radicalism.”
