Monitoring of 'hate inciting', 'blasphemous' content: CTD to set up special monitoring cells during Muharram

LAHORE: In an effort to keep the masses safe from the nefarious designs of "anti-state elements" during the upcoming holy month of Muharram-ul-Haram, the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has started setting up "Special Monitoring Cells" (SMCs) with the help of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) that will ensure round-the-clock monitoring of "hate inciting" and "blasphemous" content being uploaded on social media websites.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar while presiding over the meeting of the Central Executive District Peace Committee ahead of Muharram-ul-Haram at District Police Lines Qila Gujjar Singh on Sunday disclosed that the special monitoring cells would have participation of local police, CTD Punjab and the FIA. He said that these cells would ensure round-the-clock monitoring of social media pages/websites in Muharram-ul-Haram and the local police along with the CTD and the FIA will take stern actions against individuals or groups which found involved in uploading or making viral "controversial, blasphemous videos, inciting posts, texts and hate material promoting extremity, religious disputes and sectarianism".

While stressing upon the need for creating religious harmony and brotherhood among the people of all groups, sects and beliefs to ensure maintenance of peace and solidarity in the wake of changing security situation at Northwestern borders and strategic importance of Pakistan, the CCPO said that our enemy can try to shatter the peace of the country and damage our national interests by conspiring to create religious differences.

"It is the need of the hour to foil nefarious designs of anti-state elements to disturb peace of our country," he said, adding that love and fraternity should be promoted among all sects setting aside our individual and collective differences. He said that security arrangements could only be proved successful with the cooperation of Ulemas along with civil society.

The senior police officer told the meeting that as many as 7210 Majalis will be held in the provincial capital. Of them, he added, about 60 percent Majalis will be held during the first 10 days of Ashura. "Due to security threats in the wake of rapidly changing (security) situation in the neighboring country, security arrangements on this Muharram will be more elaborate than that of ensured last year," he assured the participants. He appealed to the ulemas to play their effective role for promotion of peace and religious harmony during Muharram. He asked them to extend their support to the government in its efforts for elimination of crimes as well as extremisms in the society along with implementation of standard operational procedures (SOPs) in Imam-bargahs and mourning processions during Majalis.

DIG Operations Sajid Kiani emphasized to streamline regular coordination between the members of peace committees and other stakeholders including Lahore police.

Besides other senior command of the Lahore police, the meeting was also attended by members of the committee including Moulana Muhammad Ali Naqashbandi, Mufti Imran-ul-Hassan, Mufti Imran Hanfi, Agha Shah Hussain Kazalbash, Syed Mehdi Shah, Hafiz Muhammad Zubair, Moulana Asad Ubaid, Moulana Mahmood-ul-Hassan, Moutasim Elahi Zaheer and Moulana Aziz-ur-Rehman.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021