Crackdown on Online Criticism Chills Pakistani Social Media
Shahzad Ahmad said that Many journalists and activists — especially young people who ask important questions or
say critical things on Facebook or Twitter — they are going quiet, thinking they can be arrested, or worse,
Dr. Ranjha is one of dozens of people arrested and investigated since January for their
social media use, under the sweeping cybercrimes law passed by Parliament last year.
An Interior Ministry spokesman said all questions about continuing investigations
under the cybercrime law should be directed to the Federal Investigation Agency.
By MEHREEN ZAHRA-MALIKJULY 27, 2017
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Dr. Faisal Ranjha was examining a patient in the crowded critical-care unit of his hospital in northeastern
Pakistan when a federal officer abruptly walked in, seized his cellphone and told him he was under arrest.
Muhammad Shafique said that Monitoring is not our mandate; we get complaints from the interior minister
and mostly our intelligence agencies about certain social media profiles, and then we investigate,
espect the constitution of Pakistan." One Mochi administrator, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fears for his family, said he was subjected to torture during his three weeks in I.S.I.
that We respect Armed Forces of Pakistan as much as they r
