Pakistan to empower investigation agency to act against social media posts targeting state institutions

ISLAMABAD: The government plans to empower the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to act against anyone trying to spread “rumors and false information against state institutions” on social media, reported a local newspaper on Tuesday. 
The FIA found itself in the eye of the storm earlier this year after President Arif Alvi approved the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2022, which increased jail terms for social media users convicted of disseminating “fake news,” causing uproar among civil society organizations and journalist bodies. 
The new law was used by the FIA to arrest people under a section criminalizing “defamatory” and “fake” content on social media and was widely viewed as a tool to silence critics of the government. 
The Islamabad High Court, however, decided to look into the issue and restrained the agency from making indiscriminate arrests. 
According to Dawn newspaper, the federal cabinet recently approved a summary circulated by the interior ministry about making amendments to the schedule of the FIA Act of 1974. 
“FIA has intimated that presently, social media is inundated with false information and rumors against state institutions and organizations with intent to cause or incite or which is likely to cause or incite any officer, solder, sailor or airman in army, navy, or air force of Pakistan to mutiny, offense or otherwise disregard or fail in his duty as such,” said a passage from the summary quoted by the newspaper. 
It maintained such rumors and false information could spread fear or alarm in the public or compel an individual to commit offense against the state or public tranquility. 
“FIA has added that these are likely to incite any class or community of persons to commit any offense against any other class or community,” the summary added. 
Dawn reported the FIA told the government that such an offense was triable under Section 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code, though it was not included in the schedule of the FIA Act. The agency requested the state’s approval to include it in its scheduled offenses. 
The section, which deals with statements conducing to public mischief, is punishable with a prison term of seven years along with a financial penalty.