Social media outrage in Pakistan as anti-terror squad kills university student in Islamabad

This viral photograph shows bullet holes in the windshield of the car driven by 22-year-old university student Usama Nadeem Satti on Jan. 2, 2021. (Photo courtesy: social media)
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Updated 02 January 2021
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Social media outrage in Pakistan as anti-terror squad kills university student in Islamabad

  • 22-year-old Usama Nadeem Satti was shot multiple times by police personnel after a robbery was reported in the city
  • Police authorities claimed the university student was driving a car with tinted windows and refused to pull over when ordered by authorities

ISLAMABAD: Five police personnel belonging to the anti-terror squad were arrested in the federal capital on Saturday after they killed a 22-year-old university student in what was described as a shoot-out by the authorities.

The incident that took place on Friday night generated social media outrage, making people demand justice for Usama Nadeem Satti who received multiple bullet wounds and died on the spot after his vehicle was targeted on Kashmir Highway.

According to the police authorities, Satti was shot after a robbery was reported in the city and there was information about a fleeing car.




This viral photograph shows 22-year-old university student Usama Nadeem Satti who was killed in what was described as a shoot-out by the authorities on Jan. 2, 2021. (Photo courtesy: social media)

The young university student was spotted in the same neighborhood on his vehicle with tinted windows, and the anti-terror squad decided to chase him since he refused to pull over when he was asked to stop the car.

Satti's father described the incident as an "act of terrorism" by police personnel, saying that the incident happened since his son had exchanged hot words with the police a few days ago.

Reacting to the development, the inspector general of police in Islamabad formed an inquiry committee while the chief commissioner of the federal capital ordered a judicial probe.

The matter was also taken up by the country's political elite on social media platforms.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader, Maryam Sharif, criticized the government for being "insensitive" as she claimed that the "sanctity of human life" had decreased under the current administration.

The prime minister's adviser on political communication, Shehbaz Gill, promised a "transparant inquiry" into the incident, however, as #JusticeForUsamaNadeemSatti became a top trend on Twitter.


Pakistan telecom regulator urges restraint on social media amid regional tensions

Updated 5 sec ago
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Pakistan telecom regulator urges restraint on social media amid regional tensions

  • PTA warns against sharing unverified content, says legal action may follow ‘fake news’
  • Advisory comes as Pakistan strikes targets in Afghanistan and Iran faces US, Israeli attacks

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s telecom regulator on Saturday urged citizens to avoid sharing “unverified or inflammatory” content online, warning that legal action could be taken against those spreading misinformation amid what it described as a “sensitive national situation.”

The advisory from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) comes as Islamabad says it is targeting militant positions inside Afghanistan following a recent flareup between the two neighbors, while Iran is under attack by the United States and Israel in an escalating regional conflict that has heightened security concerns across South and West Asia.

“In view of the prevailing sensitive national situation, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) urges all citizens to be responsible while using social media and digital platforms,” the regulator said in a statement posted on X.

The PTA advised citizens “not to share, disseminate, forward, or upload any unverified, inflammatory, or misleading information/content that may directly or indirectly harm the national interest, public order, or state institutions.”

It said people should instead rely on authentic information based on official sources and refrain from spreading rumors and “fake news.”

“Sharing any fake news/information is liable to legal action in accordance with applicable laws,” the authority said, calling on citizens to act with “caution, maturity, and a strong sense of national responsibility” to help maintain stability and public confidence.

Pakistan in recent years has witnessed increasingly stringent implementation of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), a cybercrime law that has drawn criticism from rights groups, with journalists and activists arrested and prosecuted under its provisions.