Pakistan says Facebook vows to tackle concerns over blasphemous content

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 30 March 2017

Pakistan's government has raised concerns about blasphemous content on Facebook. A delegation from Facebook will visit to discuss these issues with officials.

Summary

KARACHI - Facebook has assured Pakistan that concerns about blasphemous content on the social media site will be addressed and a company delegation will visit this week to discuss the issue with the government, the interior minister said on Tuesday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif earlier this month ordered that blasphemous content on social media is removed or blocked and that anyone posting such material is punished, and the government requested a meeting with Facebook.

Blasphemy is a criminal offense in Pakistan and can carry the death penalty. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, quoting from what he said was a letter from Facebook's vice president received a day earlier, told reporters: "I wanted to reiterate that Facebook takes the concerns raised by the Pakistani government very seriously. We have also committed our representative to meet with you and senior officials of your government."

Khan described this message as a "very big improvement" from Facebook as, he said, the U.S. social media giant generally had not responded to such complaints in the past.

He said Facebook through Pakistan's ambassador in the United States has told him that over the past few months it had blocked 62 blasphemous web pages, and 45 in the past several days alone.

"We see it very positively that at the highest level Facebook has responded and takes this issue seriously."

He said Pakistan's Washington ambassador had spoken to the FBI and Justice Department to underline Islamabad's concerns and both agencies had been receptive. There was no immediate comment from Facebook. Last week, Khan warned he would close social media sites that fail to prevent online blasphemy but gave no details. Facebook data indicate the social media app has about 25-30 million active users in Pakistan even though Internet penetration remains poor. Facebook's Instagram unit and rival Twitter are also popular. The ruling PML-N party's tough talk against blasphemy will appeal to its conservative voter base ahead of elections likely to take place next year. At least 65 people, including lawyers, defendants, and judges, have been murdered by Islamist militants over blasphemy allegations in Pakistan since 1990, according to think-tank figures and local media. - Reuters

KEY POINTS:

• Pakistan's Interior Minister announced Facebook's commitment to address blasphemous content.
• A delegation from Facebook is scheduled to meet with Pakistani officials this week.
• Blasphemy can carry severe penalties, including the death penalty in Pakistan.
• Facebook has blocked numerous blasphemous pages following complaints from the Pakistani government.
• The ruling party's response to blasphemy issues aims to appeal to conservative voters ahead of upcoming elections.