Friday, February 14, 2020
د میرلي ړنګ سکولونو ماشومان له خواشینۍ پر سړک سبقونه وايي
په میرلي کې د ړنګو سکولونو زدهکونکیو ځوانانو تنظیم تر سیوري لاندې لاریون وشو او له خواشینۍ/خپګانه یې د سړک پر سر خپل کتابونه واز کړل او سبقونه ویل یې پیل کړل. دوی ویل لا یې هم ړنګ سکولونه نه دي ودان شوي او سرکار ته یې غږ کاوه تعلیمي ادارې دې ورته فعاله کړي. عمر وزیر پرې رپورټ لري.
NAB notices won’t stop Bilawal from launching movement against government
By NAVEED BUTT
Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, spokesperson for Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has said that whenever his party chairman declares intention to launch an anti-government movement, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) starts sending him notices. Talking to the media outside the Parliament House on Thursday, he said, “these notices will not stop PPP from launching a movement against the government.
The NAB chairperson should clarify why federal ministers were representing the NAB instead of the NAB's spokesman, the senator asked. He said that Bilawal had never held a public office until recently. Khokhar said the NAB should summon those who had created flour and sugar crises and the people who embezzled public money in the BRT, Malam Jabba, Billion Tree Tsunami and other projects in the KP.
The senator said that the government did not have anything to show as its performance. Khokhar said that the response given by Firdous Ashiq Awan and Shahzad Akbar on Thursday to Bilawal Bhutto's media talk carried no relevance to facts.
Why have these ministers come out in support of the NAB? he asked. “Former chief justice of Pakistan is on the record to have said that the NAB is no more impartial. Bilawal is innocent and the chief justice had said so but the government ministers are misguiding people," Khokhar said. He said the government had brought inflation to its peak by striking a deal with the International Monitory fund (IMF).
Khokhar further sais that now even international institutions were reporting that there was political victimisation in Pakistan. The senator said that when press could not be crushed during martial law regimes how could this government succeed in strangling the voice of the media. “We condemn the ban on advertisements for the newspaper founded by Quaid-e-Azam and PPP will continue to raise its voice for the media," he concluded.
پاکستان: نئے ضوابط سوشل میڈیا کا ’گلہ گھونٹنے‘ کے لیے ہیں؟
سول سوسائٹی، سیاست دانوں اور صحافتی تنظیموں نے حکومت کی طرف سے سوشل میڈیا کو کنٹرول کرنے کے لیے متعارف کروائے گئے نئے قواعد و ضوابط کی شدید مذمت کی ہے اور انہیں ’جمہوریت دشمن‘ قرار دیا ہے۔
جمعرات کو وزیر اطلاعات و نشریات ڈاکٹر فردوس عاشق اعوان نے اس تاثر کو غلط قرار دیا کہ حکومت سوشل میڈیا کا 'گلہ گھونٹنا‘ چاہتی ہے لیکن کابینہ کی طرف سے جاری کردہ ضوابط کو ناقدین 'آزادی اظہار رائے کا گلہ گھوٹنے‘ کے مترادف قرار دے رہے ہیں۔ حال ہی میں منظور کیے جانے والے ان قواعد کے مطابق سوشل میڈیا کمپنیوں پر یہ لازم ہو گا کہ وہ حکومت کی طرف سے متعین کردہ تحقیقاتی ادارے کو کسی بھی طرح کی انفارمیشن یا ڈیٹا فراہم کریں۔ ایسا نہ کرنے پر کمپنیوں کو پچاس کروڑ کا جرمانہ ادا کرنا ہو گا۔ ان کمپنیوں کو قابل اعتراض مواد کو چوبیس گھنٹے میں ہٹانا پڑے گا اور ایمرجنسی کی صورت میں ایسے مواد کو چھ گھنٹے میں ہٹانا ہوگا۔ ایسے مواد کی اطلاع متعلقہ ادارے کا افسر کسی بھی کمپنی کو خود یا ای میل کے ذریعے دے گا۔ سوشل میڈیا کمپنیز کو پاکستان میں تین ماہ کے اندر اپنے دفاتر بھی قائم کرنا پڑیں گے اور ایک ترجمان بھی مقرر کرنا ہو گا۔
پاکستان میں آزادی اظہار رائے کو قابو میں کرنے کے لیے اس سے پہلے بھی بہت سے قوانین بنائے گئے ہیں یا انگریز دور کے قوانین کا سہارا لے کر آزادیِ صحافت کو محدود بنایا گیا۔ پاکستان کے ابتدائی برسوں میں انگریز کے بنائے ہوئے سیکرٹ ایکٹ، سکیورٹی ایکٹ اور ڈیفینس آف انڈیا ایکٹ کا سہارا لیا گیا۔ ڈیفینس آف انڈیا کا بعد میں نام تبدیل کر دیا گیا۔ ان میں سے کچھ قوانین کو ایوب خان کے دور تک استعمال کیا گیا۔ ایوب خان کے دور میں پریس اینڈ پبلیکیشنز اور مارشل ریگولیشنز کا سہارا لیا گیا۔ اس کے علاوہ سیفٹی ایکٹ کو بھی صحافت کو دبانے کے لئے استعمال کیا گیا۔ ذوالفقار علی بھٹو نے ان قوانین کو ختم کرنے کا وعدہ کیا جنرل ضیاء کا دور صحافت اور آزادی اظہار رائے کے لیے بد ترین کہا جاتا ہے، جب نہ صرف صحافیوں کو بے روزگار کیا گیا بلکہ انہیں جیلوں میں بھی ڈالا گیا اور انہیں کوڑے بھی مارے گئے۔ اس وقت پاکستان پینل کوڈ کی شق چارسو ننانوے اور پانچ سو میں بھی ترامیم کی گئیں اور اس کا ٹارگٹ بھی آزادی اظہار رائے تھا۔ اس کے علاوہ مارشل لاء ریگولیشنز کو بھی استعمال کیا گیا۔ جمہوریت کی بحالی کے بعد نواز شریف کے دو ادوار میں پریس پر قدغنیں لگائی گئیں۔ موجودہ قواعد دو ایسے ایکٹس کی روشنی میں بنائے گئے ہیں، جو نواز شریف اور ن لیگ کے ادوار میں بنائے گئے۔ ایک ایکٹ پاکستان ٹیلی کمیونیکیشن ایکٹ انیس سو ستانوے سے انیس سو ننانوے کے دوران بنایا گیا اور دوسرا پاکستان الیکڑانک کرائمز ایکٹ دو ہزار تیرہ سے اٹھارہ کے دوران بنایا گیا۔
بلوچستان کے سابق وزیر اعلی اور نیشنل پارٹی کے صدر ڈاکٹر عبدالمالک بلوچ کے خیال میں یہ قواعد جمہوریت کے خاتمے کا اعلان ہیں، ''کسی جمہوری ملک میں آزاد میڈیا کے بغیر جمہوریت کا تصور نہیں۔ پاکستان میں میڈیا پر پہلے ہی قدغنیں ہیں۔ ہم نے پہلے بھی ان پابندیوں کے خلاف پارلیمنٹ میں آواز اٹھائی ہے اور ہم اب بھی اٹھائیں گے۔‘‘
ڈاکٹر مالک کا مزید کہنا تھا کہ وہ پی ٹی آئی کو ہی اس کا ذمے دار ٹھہرائیں گے، ''پی ٹی آئی کسی کے بھی اشارے پر یہ قواعد لائی ہو لیکن منظر پر تو وہ ہی ہیں۔ اس لیے ہم انہی کو مورد الزام ٹھہرائیں گے۔‘‘ ان قواعد پر پاکستان کی فیڈرل یونین آف جرنلسٹس بھی چراغ پا ہیں۔ یونین کے مرکزی جنرل سیکریٹری ناصر زیدی کا کہنا ہے کہ ان کی تنظیم ان قواعد کی بھر پور مزاحمت کرے گی، ''یہ قواعد آئین کی آرٹیکل انیس کی کھلی خلاف ورزی ہے، جو آزادی اظہار رائے کی ضمانت دیتی ہے۔ جب سے یہ حکومت وجود میں آئی ہوئی ہے، یہ میڈیا، سوشل میڈیا اور آزادی اظہار رائے کو دبانے پر تلی ہوئی ہے۔ ان قواعد سے یہ لگتا ہے کہ حکومت میں آمرانہ رجحانات ہیں، جن کی ہر سطح پر مزاحمت کی جانی چاہیے۔‘‘
کئی ناقدین کا خیال ہے کہ یہ قواعد پی ٹی آئی نے نہیں بلکہ ملک کی طاقتور اسٹیبلشمنٹ نے نافذ کرائے ہیں۔ کراچی سے تعلق رکھنے والے تجزیہ نگار ڈاکٹر توصیف احمد خان کا کہنا ہے کہ حکومت ان قواعد کے ذریعے ان عناصر کو ٹارگٹ کرنا چاہتی ہے، جو ریاستی اداروں کو ناپسند ہیں، ''کئی ایسے افراد ہیں، جیسے کہ گل بخاری، وقاص گورایہ اور سندھی و بلوچ قوم پرست، جو سوشل میڈیا پر ریاستی اداروں پر تنقید کرتے ہیں۔ تو یہ قواعد فوج کی فرمائش پر بنائیں گئے ہیں تاکہ ایسے افراد کو ٹارگٹ کیا جا سکے۔‘‘
تجزیہ کاروں کے مطابق حکومت کی طرف سے پاکستانی ذرائع ابلاغ پر 'غیراعلانیہ پابندی‘ بھی بہت موثر رہی ہے اور مولانا فضل الرحمان کے جلسوں سے لے کر مریم نواز شریف کی ریلیوں تک 'میڈیا ملک کے طاقتور اداروں کا تابع دار‘ ہی رہا ہے۔ بعض مرتبہ تو سابق وزیر اعظم نواز شریف، سابق صدر زرداری اور سابق وزیر برائے اطلاعات و نشریات پرویز رشید کے انٹرویوز سمیت کئی انٹرویوز اور تقریروں کا میڈیا نے 'غیر اعلانیہ بائیکاٹ‘ کیا۔
پی ٹی ایم کے بڑے بڑے جلسے پاکستان کے چوبیس گھنٹے چلنے والے ٹی وی چینلز پر کوئی جگہ نہ بنا سکے۔ ان پابندیوں کے باعث سیاسی جماعتوں، اسٹیبلشمنٹ مخالف میڈیا شخصیات اور ناقدین نے سوشل میڈیا کا بھر پور استعمال کیا، جسے اب حکومت کنٹرول کرنا چاہتی ہے۔ تاہم اسلام آباد سے تعلق رکھنے والے معروف صحافی فرمان علی کا کہنا ہے کہ یہ پابندی موثر نہیں ہوگی، ''پہلے بھی حکومت نے یو ٹیوب پر پابندی لگائی تھی اور یہ موثر ثابت نہیں ہوئی۔ لوگوں نے پراکسی سرور استعمال کرنے شروع کر دیے تھے۔ چین جیسے طاقتور ملک میں، جہاں صرف وی چیٹ ہے، لوگ پراکسی سرور کے ذریعے واٹس ایپ استعمال کر رہے ہیں۔ تو یہاں بھی ایسا ہی ہو گا۔‘‘
New social-media bill takes Pakistan another step backward
By IMAD ZAFAR
In 2014, Estonia became the first country to offer virtual residency (e-residency) to foreigners. E-residency enables any person in any country to operate a company in Estonia remotely. Not only can someone operating under this system generate business for his company by providing information-technology enabled services (ITeS), Estonia can generate revenue by collecting taxes from foreigners who operate remotely from their own homelands.
This can be viewed as the future of the world, where expanding technology and digital media will create the concept of “electronic citizens” of the entire globe. Developing economies will definitely benefit from this just as Estonia has. However, in Pakistan the government is incapable of thinking of ways to use technology for the betterment of the economy and to attract foreign investment. To the contrary: All the energies of the current Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regime are spent curbing the freedom of expression and shrinking the digital space, without realizing its impact on the country’s global image and economy.
In a recent move to curb the of freedom of expression in digital space, the PTI government approved a new rule requiring social-media companies to open offices in Pakistan. This rule is to be added to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act of 2016.
Under the new regulation, all social-media companies based outside the country will need to register in Pakistan within three months, and should open offices in Islamabad. The rule requires them to appoint representatives to deal with a national coordination authority, which will regulate the content on social-media platforms. These companies will be asked to set up their data servers in Pakistan within a year, and they will be required to provide data of accounts found guilty of targeting state institutions, spreading fake news or harassment, and issuing statements that harm national security or with blasphemous content, to law-enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The PTI regime has already silenced dissent on mainstream media by banning dissident journalists from appearing on television channels or writing for local newspapers. However, social-media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn provide space for such people to share their views and their work with local and global viewers and reader. This new law, concocted in the name of regulating social media, actually is directed toward suppressing the growing dissent on social media that gradually is becoming a platform of catharsis and expression for the educated masses in Pakistan. Those who do not agree with the policies of the government can express their dissenting opinions through a tweet or a Facebook post, while the journalists who are banned from mainstream media share the links of their publications and videos on these platforms, which has given the masses a new platform not only to see or hear alternative perspectives but also to interact with the senior journalists and intellectuals.
Since social media play an important role in shaping public opinions, the PTI government, already weakened by its inability to govern the country and steer it out of the economic crisis, has decided to put restrictions on these platforms. But it seems that whoever advised the government to pass this bill does not have a clue about how the digital space works and how social-media companies operate.
People usually trust social-media companies because they know that their privacy will be protected. For instance, WhatsApp is being used more often for messaging than mobile-phone SMS (short messaging service) as WhatsApp is considered more secure thanks to its encrypted messages. Likewise Twitter many times in the past has refused the requests of Pakistani officials to provide data on its users. So any company providing a social-media platform that operates globally will never agree to leak user data to government officials as it could damage its credibility all over the world.
This means that companies like Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp will not accept the illegitimate demands of the current Pakistani government. So either the government has to take a step back and repeal this new bill or social media will be banned in Pakistan.
It seems that this government is more interested in imposing a regressive Chinese model of control over the digital space so it can influence its citizens with propaganda and keep them in ignorance. But even in terms of attracting foreign investment, this move is disastrous, as no investor in the modern age chooses a country where the digital space is shrunk and controlled. China is an exception because its economy is dependent on low-cost manufacturing. In any case, irrespective of whether this new law will work or not, the question remains: Why are Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet are so afraid of dissent?
Khan could have never thought about curbing social media if the powers that be had not given him the nod. In fact, the blame also lies with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), as both voted in favor of the controversial electronic crime act of 2016 in parliament without consulting the stakeholders or keeping in view the consequences of such a law on freedom of expression.
So in a century where the world is thinking about such innovations as Estonia’s virtual residency and even the repressive regimes in the Persian Gulf region are opening up their digital spaces to generate business and to invite freelancers and journalists from all over the globe, Pakistan’s invisible forces with the help of a puppet prime minister are trying to take the country back to the era of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and Ayub Khan when freedom of expression was suppressed.
However, with the invention of digital platforms and social media, it is almost impossible to silence dissenting voices. If the draconian laws of Ayub Khan and Zia were not enough to silence dissent, this new law to curb social media will not work either. It will only make Pakistan a laughing-stock, while IT entrepreneurs and digital platforms will hesitate to invest in the country because of its regressive laws and curbs on cyberspace.
If the intention of the government was to regulate social and digital media, it could have initiated a debate in parliament and all stakeholders, especially the digital platforms and journalists, would have been taken into confidence. However, the government preferred to act like a martial-law regime by not allowing any debate in parliament or including input from the digital and social-media providers and journalists.
Then there is another problem: Who will decide which content is or is not against national security? Up to now even the term “national security” is vague and keeps changing according to the requirements of the security establishment.
It seems we will witness another year of regression, where more sedition charges will be framed against the dissenting voices and where instead of inviting the world through digital space to contribute to the country’s economy, the government will make sure that Pakistan remains in the stone age, where the masses should believe what the government and the establishment decide or say and keep worshipping the gods created by this hybrid regime.
#Pakistan government's new social media rules draw criticism
Digital-rights activists say the new rules will give the authorities unflinching powers to stifle social media.
Pakistan's government has approved new rules for regulating cyberspace which opponents say could be used to stifle dissent and free speech.
Under regulations that were approved by the cabinet late last month but were not immediately made public, social media companies will be obliged to help law enforcement agencies access data and to remove online content deemed unlawful.
Companies that do not comply with the rules risk being blocked online, according to a copy of the regulations seen by Reuters news agency.The approval of the new rules follows accusations by opposition parties that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government has sought to intimidate and silence its opponents and allegations of media censorship. Pakistan's military has also faced accusations of cracking down on media and free speech.
But Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, the top official at the Ministry of Information Technology that wrote the regulations, said the new rules would help "identify and weed out unwanted and slanderous online content."
"We needed to do it to uphold the integrity, decency, and respect of individuals and sanctity of institutions," he said.
The new rules on social media are described by the authors as intended to prevent the live streaming of online content relating to "terrorism, extremism, hate speech, defamation, fake news, incitement to violence and national security."
Social media companies will be obliged within 24 hours to respond to a request to remove "unlawful" material or six hours in emergency cases. They will have three months to register with authorities in Pakistan and must have a physical presence in Pakistan. When demanded, the companies will be required to provide subscriber information, traffic data, content data and any other information or data that is sought, the regulations stipulate.The rules also state that interpretations of the regulations by the authorities in Pakistan "shall take precedence over any community standards or rules or community guidelines or policies or any other instruments devised by a social media company."
'Overreach'
Nighat Dad, who runs the not-for-profit Digital Rights Foundation in Pakistan says the new rules will give the authorities unflinching powers to stifle social media."The worrying part for me is that the definition around extremism, religion or culture is so wide and ambiguous and that means they have these unfettered power to call any online content illegal or extremist or anti-state," she told Reuters. Dad told Al Jazeera that the social media policy proposed by the government would likely mean that women, ethnic and religious minorities were going to be the most vulnerable under the new rules.
Farieha Aziz, the founder of Bolo Bhi a digital rights advocacy group, also voiced concern.
"This is the kind of overreach we were worried about," she said. "They're trying to go beyond the ambit of the law, trying to go above and beyond what the law allows them to do."
Pakistani lawyer and an advocate of the Supreme Court Anees Jillani told Al Jazeera the policy was an "infringement on freedom of speech".
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