Pakistan: More bloggers charged, cleric’s rally blocked

The Committee to Protect Journalists as well as Amnesty International has decried the use of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law against the media in Pakistan. Critics say the blasphemy law is being used to silence Pakistan’s media because even the allegation can be enough to incite hardliners to kill.

Previously, a provincial governor was shot and killed by his police guard who accused him of blasphemy after he criticized the law and defended a Christian woman sentenced to death under the law.

Meanwhile, the clerics vowed to try again next week. Their demonstration was directed at five bloggers, who were held for nearly three weeks in January.

The bloggers — who went missing but were later returned unhurt to their families — have accused Pakistan’s intelligence agency of orchestrating their disappearance because of their criticism of the military and intelligence agencies.

Before their release, hard-liners raised accusations of blasphemy. Abdul Aziz’ son-in-law and follower, Salman Shahid, went to court earlier to charge all five bloggers with blasphemy. The five have since fled the country after also receiving death threats.

Alongside the court cases, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government launched a campaign to rid social media of any content considered insulting to Islam — at least any posted by Pakistanis.

The government petitioned Facebook and Twitter to identify Pakistanis worldwide who are found posting material considered offensive to Islam so that Pakistani authorities can prosecute them or pursue their extradition on charges of blasphemy — tantamount to a death sentence.

Earlier, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Khan said a Facebook delegation was expected in Pakistan within weeks.

Meanwhile, the Center for Inquiry, a U.S.-based advocacy group, appealed to Facebook not to consider the censorship demands by Pakistani authorities.

As well as writing a letter to Facebook, Michael De Dora, of the advocacy group, said members of his organization are also taking their concerns about Pakistan’s online crackdown to the United Nations and Washington.

“We have taken to the floor of the U.N. Human Rights Council to raise Pakistan’s crackdowns on online expression, and communicated our concerns directly with the State Department and Facebook,” De Dora said in an email exchange this week. “But it is difficult to tell if our efforts have achieved anything. “

Haroon Baloch, of the Islamabad-based think-tank Bytes For All said social media is also widely used by those espousing harsh and exclusive interpretations of Islam. Platforms like Facebook are used to attack Shiite Muslims as well as adherents of minority religions in Pakistan such as Christians and Hindus.

While Pakistan has ordered shut more than 900 web addresses linked to banned religious groups, Baloch said many still maintain social media platforms like Facebook, where they spew hate and even raise funds

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Associated Press writers Zarar Khan and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Adil Jawad in Karachi contributed to this report.

Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Pakistan: More bloggers charged, cleric’s rally blocked

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