ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday sought reply from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in a petition seeking use of modern technology to stop uploading of hate material on social media by the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).

Acting IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard the miscellaneous application filed by Col (retd) Javed Iqbal through Barrister Shoaib Razzaq.

The petitioner pleaded before the bench that the PTM activists had been spreading hate material against the state institutions through social media sites. The activities of PTM, which  was not a registered political party, should be banned to protect the esteem of state.

The organization was misusing electronic and social media for their nefarious resolves, he added.

The petitioner prayed the court to order the PTA to remove all hate material and to block controversial contents on social media by using modern technology like other countries, and take action against the people involved in the crime.

The petitioner has nominated Ministry of Defence, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, PTA, Ministry of Interior and PTM’s Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazeer as respondents in the case.