ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Interior has deferred a decision on the Punjab government’s request for the suspension of six social media platforms for around a week, during Muharram.

A statement issued by the interior ministry on Friday said no decision had yet been taken on the provincial governments’ requests for internet shutdown, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would make the final decision in this regard.

The statement made it clear that the requests of the provinces had “neither been rejected nor accepted”.

The statement did not reveal which provinces other than Punjab had made such requests, but made it clear that Punjab was not the only one to have sought this.

An official had earlier told Dawn that instead of blocking access to social media platforms, foolproof security arrangements would be made. However, he had hinted that cellular services would be suspended in some cities for a few hours on 9th and 10th of Muharram.

The Punjab government had asked the federal government to suspend access to social media from 6th to 11th of Muharram to control the spread of misinformation and hate material in order to prevent sectarian violence.

The provincial government had requested on the basis of intelligence reports suggesting that attempts could be made to disrupt peace in some areas.

The provincial home department had written a letter to the interior ministry after a meeting, recommending the suspension of “social media applications Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouT­ube, X, TikTok, etc. across the province from Muharram 6 to 11 to control hate material, misinformation and to avoid sectarian violence”.

Sources said the Punjab government had initially planned social media suspension for two days, but it was on the basis of intelligence reports that it went for more stringent measures.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was not available for co­m­ment despite repeated attempts.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2024