HRCP welcomes closing down of Digital Media Wing

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 20 April 2022

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan supports the closure of the Digital Media Wing established by the previous PTI government. They have criticized the wing for promoting a political agenda and misusing resources.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has welcomed the decision by the newly formed government to close down the Digital Media Wing (DMW) established by the PTI government to disseminate official information on social media platforms.

According to Dawn, the HRCP said the decision to "disband the problematic Digital Media Wing is welcomed."

HRCP has been opposing the DMW, emphasizing that the wing was pursuing the political agenda of the PTI against its opponents, and there were allegations that state resources were used to fulfill the party agenda, including trolling of critics and media persons.

After assuming charge as minister for information and broadcasting on Tuesday, Marriyum Aurangzeb said the PTI-established DMW was composed of political workers. According to her, it targeted the opposition and national institutions.

"This wing has been abolished because it was not even needed from the start as the cyber wing already existed in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting."

"Three government employees posted to the DMW are being transferred to the cyber wing," she said.

The DMW was established in 2018 by PTI soon after it came to power. It was the reincarnation of the Social Media Wing, working under the Press Information Department (PID).

Imran Ghazali, former general manager of DMW, resigned soon after Shehbaz Sharif became the prime minister. It has been decided that around 16 other employees of the DMW, whose contracts were to expire in August this year, will be laid off.