Pakistani government arrests 30 social media activists for spreading 'propaganda'

Islamabad [Pakistan], December 12 : Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) initiated a large-scale operation against social media activists involved in spreading 'fake propaganda', ARY News reported.
As per ARY News, the FIA arrested 30 social media activists across the country for their involvement in propagating 'fake news' and allegedly inciting 'propaganda'.
Multiple arrests and several FIRs were registered in various regions in this operation, which was led by the FIA Cybercrime Wing.
According to FIA officials, the Cybercrime Wing in Punjab has arrested 26 individuals and registered 66 FIRs across districts, including Lahore. Islamabad's Cybercrime Wing has also been active, registering 51 FIRs in its jurisdiction, ARY News reported.
In Multan, the operations led to the arrest of 14 individuals and the registration of over 30 cases. Meanwhile, Karachi saw 16 FIRs registered, Sukkur recorded four, and Hyderabad registered five cases. FIA Quetta reported the registration of three FIRs during the ongoing operation.
Officials emphasised the importance of combating misinformation to maintain national harmony and order.
Earlier on Wednesday, Parliamentary Secretary Sajid Mehdi told Pakistan's National Assembly (NA) that almost 86,000 SIMs have been blocked for anti-state activities.
Parliamentary Secretary Sajid Mehdi admitted that the government had blocked the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to curb misinformation, adding that 86,000 SIMs have also been blocked over 'anti-state' activities, as per ARY News.
He told the assembly that amendments to the Electronic Crimes Act are expected soon to strengthen regulations against 'fake news', ARY News reported. Mehdi also said that VPN usage has also been restricted to control the flow of 'misinformation'.
"A task force has been established under the Prime Minister's directive to tackle fake news. Awareness campaigns are being extended to universities, colleges, and schools," ARY News quoted him as saying.
Mehdi contrasted Pakistan's approach to fake news with international practices. He said, "Globally, fake news is not given as much importance, and there is greater freedom of expression," as per ARY News.
On the other hand, the FIA Cybercrime Wing had officially been granted authority to take action against crimes committed on social media platforms, ARY News quoted a notification issued by the Ministry of IT on Wednesday.