ISLAMABAD: Twitter late Sunday suspended the account belonging to the head of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, Khadim Rizvi, following tweets that incited violence and hate speech.
Pakistan has been roiled by protests after the controversial acquittal of a Christian woman on blasphemy charges, with TLP supporters bringing major cities to a standstill and demanding people be held accountable for the Supreme Court’s decision.
Rizvi used his verified Twitter account to threaten the lives of the judges involved in the order as well as incite violence against those he said were complicit in the ruling, such as the head of Pakistan’s powerful military General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
His calls for violence led to his account being reported but one Pakistan-based NGO said his tweets did not break the rules.
“Tweets from Maulana Khadim Rizvi’s account so far have been merely political expression, challenging state authorities and narratives, which at times touch the boundaries of being offensive but not violating the international principles of free speech and community guidelines of Twitter platform,” said Shahzad Ahmed, founder of Bytes for All.
Last Saturday prominent author Ayesha Siddiqa asked the human rights minister to intervene.
“Madame Minister @ShireenMazari1 shouldn’t your ministry at least write to Facebook and twitter to block Khadim Rizvi and his accounts? How can any one threaten the state and its institutions.”
Mazari replied that government efforts were under way to have the account removed through the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
“PTA was asked to do this by the relevant minister on Friday and I am shocked it hasnt happened as I was present when PTA bureaucracy was finally found available and tasked!” she said.
The information minister said Twitter had refused Islamabad’s request, Mazari later tweeted.
Lawyer and human rights activist Nighat Dad urged her 39,000 followers to submit examples of Rizvi’s calls for violence or hate speech.
“Humans of twitter please send us any tweets of Khadim Hussain Rizvi inciting violence and hate speech,” she said. “Shukria!! Take screenshots also send URLs of certain tweets. DMs are open.”
On Monday Rizvi’s page read: “Account Suspended. Twitter suspends accounts that violate Twitter rules.”
The suspension was welcomed by many, including Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith who tweeted: “Something good happened today. Well done Twitter,” with a screenshot of Rizvi’s suspended account notice.
Dad also celebrated the suspension. “Okay great humans of twitter seems Khadim Hussain Rizvi’s twitter handle is gone.”
But Twitter user Muhammad Tayyab protested the account’s temporary closure. “You cant stop us from our mission. We will defend the cause of Namoose Risalat and Khatme Nabuwat on every platform. #KhadimHussainRizvi,” read the tweet.
Another Twitter user, Labbaik Media, challenged the suspension. “What hate content was tweeted by Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi’s account? Tell me!”
Khadim Rizvi’s Twitter account suspended
Khadim Rizvi’s Twitter account suspended
- Twitter initially refused suspension demands
- Ministers were fighting to have his account blocked
Blast kills six policemen in northwest Pakistan amid Afghanistan operation
- The explosion targeted a police vehicle in Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
- It comes after Pakistan’s overnight ‘precision strikes’ against militant hideouts in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: At least six policemen were killed in an explosion in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the interior ministry said on Friday, amid Pakistan’s continuing strikes against alleged militant hideouts in Afghanistan.
The explosion took place in the Lakki Marwat district near a police vehicle following an attempted drone strike by Afghan Taliban forces in Kohat, according to Pakistani officials.
Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militant attacks in KP, which borders Afghanistan, by the Pakistani Taliban, who have mounted assaults since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
“The brave soldiers of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police sacrificed their lives today for the nation’s peaceful tomorrow,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said, lauding police personnel in the restive region.
In a statement issued from his office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in Lakki Marwat and extended his prayers and best wishes for the deceased and injured personnel.
“We will never let sacrifices of police personnel and security forces go in vain,” he said. We are determined to completely eradicate terrorism from the country.”
The bomb attack came a day after two suspected militants were killed and four others were arrested during a joint operation conducted by police, counter-terrorism department and pro-government militias in the same district, police said.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of failing to rein in militant groups that it says use Afghan soil to plan and launch attacks in Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies.
Last month, Pakistan conducted air strikes against what it said were Pakistani Taliban and Daesh targets in Afghanistan, provoking the Afghan side to retaliate across their shared border. The two neighbors have since been locked in a conflict.
