In the wake of claims that a social media campaign has been launched against government officials and functionaries of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the back of rigging allegations in the Feb 8 polls, the caretaker federal government has constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) to “identify and prosecute the culprits” under the relevant laws.

As per a notification issued by the interior ministry, the JIT was formed under Section 30 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 and an additional director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) will be its convener.

Other members will be from the Inter-Services Intelligence, the Intelligence Bureau, Nadra, and the PTA. It could also hire IT experts if required to probe the “malicious” social media campaign.

According to the terms of reference of the JIT, it will identify and prosecute individuals involved in social media campaigns against government officials for their alleged role in irregularities on the day of polling. It will also propose measures to counter such campaigns in the future. The JIT has 15 days to submit its report to the relevant office.