ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday told Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan not to spare anyone involved in spreading blasphemous content on the internet and social media.

During a meeting with the interior minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Sharif said: “Ensure that all perpetrators are brought to justice, without any exceptions.”

Chaudhry Nisar briefed the prime minister on his meeting with secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Dr Yousef Ahmad Al-Othaimeen with reference to the blasphemous material which has been doing the rounds on social media for a few weeks.

According to the prime minister’s spokesman, PM Sharif appreciated the proposal forwarded by the interior minister to the OIC secretary general for convening of the OIC Special Ministerial Summit in Islamabad to present a unanimous stand by the Muslim Ummah on blasphemous material.

“Love and appreciation for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is part of our faith,” the prime minister said.

The interior minister also briefed the prime minister on the exceptional contribution of the Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) to the development of the defence industry and their role for the armed forces.

He also referred to the historical role of the POF work force during the 1965 and 1971 wars against India.

Chaudhry Nisar informed the prime minister that his incentive package for the POF employees, announced at the time of his visit, had not been implemented so far.

On this the prime minister constituted a committee headed by Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanvir with the interior minister and minister for finance as its members to formulate and present final recommendations within a week to resolve the issue.

The prime minister assured the minister that the announcements made during his visit to the POF would be honoured at any cost.

The interior minister met Dr Al-Othaimeen on Tuesday and expressed dissatisfaction over the role of the OIC and Muslim Ummah on the issue of blasphemous material on social media.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2017