Twitter tells DawnNews journalist his tweet on Dawar, Abidi murders violates Pakistani law

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 3 January 2019

DawnNews journalist Mubashir Zaidi was informed by Twitter that a tweet concerning the murders of SP Tahir Dawar and Ali Raza Abidi violated Pakistani law. Zaidi expressed confusion over the identity of the complainant and the reason for the violation.

Summary

ISLAMABAD - DawnNews Television journalist Mubashir Zaidi said on Thursday that Twitter had told him one of his tweets on the murders of SP Tahir Dawar, and MQM leader Ali Raza Abidi was in violation of Pakistani law.

Twitter informed Zaidi about the ‘violation’ via email and said it had acted on a complaint it received against him.

The journalist who is one of three presenters of the program Zara Hat Kay wondered who the complainant was and how the tweet violated Pakistani law.

Zaidi’s so-called objectionable tweet read: “What happened to the inquiry of Tahir Dawar? The cold-blooded murder of #AliRazaAbidi will also remain unresolved like many before him.”

I have received an email from @Twitter telling me that my below mentioned tweet is in violation of Pakistani law according to a complaint it received against me from Pakistan. No idea who is the complainant and how it violates Pakistani law? https://t.co/pPYpyjmK9j

— Mubashir Zaidi (@Xadeejournalist) January 3, 2019

Dawar was abducted from Islamabad on October 26 last year and then tortured and killed. His body was later found in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.

MNA Abidi was murdered in Karachi outside his residence on December 25.

Abbas Nasir, former editor of Dawn reacted on Twitter: “@Twitter@jack please stop issuing notices to journalists raising pertinent questions about key national issues. This is now becoming a cruel joke.”