LAHORE, Mar 17 (APP): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar on Sunday strongly condemning heinous social media campaign against martyrs of North Waziristan terrorist attack and said that the anti-Pakistan elements backed by a political party would be brought to book.
“A political party having track record of social media campaigns against national institutions, had launched a heinous campaign against the martyrs of North Waziristan terrorist attack,” the minister said while addressing a press conference here.
The minister said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was running a defamation campaign against the martyrs which was highly condemnable.
He said for the patriotic people of Pakistan, the country was above every thing and its solidarity and integrity should be above politics as every thing else was secondary.
“Sacrifices rendered by the martyrs are the guarantee of our safety and survival,” Tarar maintained.
He said that there was no harm in political criticism but insulting and ridiculing the martyrs was not acceptable.
Urging the people to use social media in a responsible manner, he announced that accounts insulting martyrs would be identified and strict legal action will be taken against the culprits.
Castigating the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership he said those who used to shout slogans of American conspiracy for topping PTI regime in 2022 were sitting on the footpaths of that country and raising slogans against Pakistan.
Referring to Waziristan incident he said besides others, a 23-year-old Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badr, the only brother of five sisters was also martyred.
He said one could imagine the feelings of his family when the body of the Shaheed was brought to his house.
“Our Armed Forces, police, security agencies and people have made great sacrifices in the war against terrorism,” the minister said adding it was because of their sacrifices that this country was safe and the nation stood with the families of the martyred.
Paying tributes to the sacrifices of the martyrs in Mir Ali incident and expressing sympathy with their families, he lamented that a political party had been ridiculing the sacrifices of the martyrs.
He said that the said party also had a similar track record in the past as they had launched a insulting and derogatory campaign on social media after Lasbela helicopter crash.
Stressing for creation of national harmony he vowed that those who mocked the sacrifices of martyrs would not be spared as they did not deserve any concession.
He disclosed that many such social media accounts were being operated from abroad, but the followers of these accounts were also present inside the country.
These accounts, he added were also reported, but the relevant platforms so far did not take any action against the accounts involved in ridiculing martyrs.
He said categorically that strict action will be taken against such social media accounts according to the law.
He said that anti-Pakistan campaign for petty political interests was condemnable and
right to freedom of expression could not be used for making mockery of the blood of martyrs.
He said that a parody account of Pakistan Army’s Inter Services Public Relations was made and in the background pictures of Imran Khan and PTI flags were Wing shown. He said this account was part of long list of anonymous or fake IDs used by the PTI activists. He said that the process of identification of all those involved in ridiculing the martyrs will be completed soon and all involved in this heinous crime would be brought to justice.
At the start of the press conference he said that
Pakistan will make progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the government would take immediate steps to solve the problems facing the economy.
He said that resolution of people’s problems was topmost priority of the present elected regime.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan had given his agenda on economy as soon as he took oath, he said adding the challenges being faced by the economy required immediate solutions.
He said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been chairing meetings on the economy on daily basis.
He said it was good omen that international financial journals have described the appointment of the Minister of Finance as a positive step.
“The government’s priorities are clear, economic stability comes only as a result of political stability”, he remarked.
To a question he said that the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz leaders and workers faced worst type of political victimization during PTI era but they never uttered any word against national institutions, nor they attack any public property like May 9. He said that those crossing the red line agaisnt national institutions will not be spared at any cost. Tarar said the elements whose footage of attacks on national institutions on May 9 was available, could not be given any concession.
To another question about privatization process, he said that PPP leader Sherry Rehman’s statement was not against privatization of PIA but she had presented the model of public private partnership.
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