JIT formed to investigate 'organised malicious social media campaign'

• Five-member JIT to be headed by Islamabad IGP.
• JIT tasked to identify, prosecute those spreading anti-state content.
• Govt has already constituted courts for trial of cases under Peca Act.

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has constituted a 5-member joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the organised anti-state malicious social media campaign.

The committee has been formed in terms of Section 30 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016 with the Islamabad police chief being its convener while two senior officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) have also been included in the panel.

The director cybercrime (FIA), director counter-terrorism wing (FIA), deputy inspector general (Investigation) and senior superintendent of police (Counter Terrorism Department) are the other members of the committee.

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior on July 26, the JIT will "investigate and determine the organised objectives of the accused and their accomplices who have created chaos and disorder in Pakistan through malicious social media campaign[s]."

The panel is also tasked to identify and prosecute the culprits in accordance with the applicable laws.

The JIT can also include any other co-opted member.

The development comes days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government constituted special courts to conduct trials of cases under the Peca Act.

As per the Law Ministry's notification, additional district and sessions judges, civil judge East and West have been given the authority to conduct trials in the special courts.

Furthermore, the government, which has time and again expressed concerns about anti-state content being disseminated online, is reportedly conducting a trial run of an internet firewall provisioning filters that will block unwanted content from reaching the masses.

The firewall will also be used to identify the locations from where the propaganda material is being originated

Earlier, sources told Geo News that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Information Secretary Raoof Hasan and others might be tried under the Peca Act.

Hasan, who was arrested by Islamabad Police on Monday, is in the FIA's custody after a court on Thursday approved a three-day extension in his physical remand with the investigative agency.

The PTI official, along with 11 other members of the party's media cell have been booked by the FIA for allegedly heading and working in a digital media cell and its alleged involvement in running anti-Pakistan propaganda.

The charges against the 12 suspects — two of whom are women — include the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act's sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyber-terrorism), and 11 (hate speech).

The suspects are Ahmad Waqas Janjua, Hasan, Afaq Ahmed Alvi, Hameedullah, Rashid Mahmood, Zeeshan Farooq, Syed Osama, Mohammad Rizwan Afzal, Mohammad Rafiq, Syed Hamza, Farhat Khalid, and Iqra.

"...by employing various tactics on social media, [these people are] trying to hurt the integrity of Pakistan as well as sabotage the law and order situation," the FIR, filed on the complaint of CTD Inspector Sajid Ikram, read.

The FIR further mentions that media cell members took directions from Hasan to make the people go up against the state and the army in a bid to create a chaotic situation.