Islamabad:
A local court in Islamabad has ordered to block 27 channels accused of “communicating false and misleading information against state institutions,” it said in an order on Tuesday.
Court Judge Abbas Shah issued a two-page written order for a petition filed by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). The court found that the agency’s evidence was satisfactory and stated that the case deserved litigation under existing laws.
NCCIA launched an investigation into the case on June 2nd with the approval of the competent authority.
Under Inspector Waseem Khan of the Cyber Crime Reporting Center in NCCIA’s informed the Court on June 24 that the agency was investigating several YouTube channels involved in the spread of “false, defamatory and false” content against state institutions and their officials.
He told the court that the content circulated, “probably would cause fear, panic, disorder or unrest in society” and included “very frightening, provocative and derogatory” remarks. He also claimed that the channels were intended to provoke the public and armed forces’ staff and create “bad will among the colors of the state.”
The study revealed that 27 channels were involved in the public dissemination of such material.
The agency subsequently sought permission to block these YouTube channels in accordance with section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes requesting a legal order to Google LLC, the parent company of YouTube, for their removal and blocking.
After reviewing the request and accompanying evidence, the court concluded that it was convinced of the facts presented and the evidence presented by the investigative officer constituted “offenses that are punitive” under the law on the prevention of electronic crimes and Pakistan’s criminal law.
The written order also instructed the officer-in-charge on YouTube to block/remove the identified channels.
The channels blocked by the court are affiliated with Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI), as well as those operated by journalists Moeed Pirzada, Asad Ali Toor, Ahmed Noorani, Matiullah Jan, Imran Riaz Khan, Sabir Shakir and Aftab Iqbal.
