The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked two Twitter accounts impersonating retired army personnel, saying that these fake accounts were ‘promoting the narrative of a political party’.
The two accounts who were promoting the agenda of a political party had also claimed that the army is supporting said political party.
The accounts claimed to belong to Major General (retd) Asghar and Major General (retd) Faisal Mushtaq, but were proven to be fake accounts and subsequently shut down by PTA.
PTA claimed that the accounts were being run by a political party and were trying to push a certain agenda. Legal action is being taken against the real owners of the account.
Previously, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb had said during a press conference that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) laws needed amendments to be able to fight the epidemic of fake news.
She issued these statements during a meeting with the media’s Joint Action Committee (JAC) where it was agreed upon that fake news damages national security interests.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will not compromise on the freedom of expression,” she said, adding that the PM wishes to promote this civil right as “death of journalism is the death of politics and democracy.”
She also asserted that “black laws” conspired to enslave 220 million people, referring to the 2016 PECA Ordinance and the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) .
“The media was financially destroyed in four years like the country’s economy,” she said, adding “During this time, attempts were made to snatch the ‘freedom of the nation’.”
