According to media reports on Saturday, Pakistan's Senate is slated to deliberate on a resolution urging the imposition of a ban on major social media platforms due to potential "misuse" against the nation and its armed forces during its forthcoming session scheduled for Monday.
The resolution, initiated by Senator Bahramand Tangi of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), whose tenure concludes on March 11, advocates for the prohibition of popular social networking sites such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Its primary objective is to shield the younger populace from the adverse and detrimental impacts attributed to these platforms, as reported by The News International. The resolution underscores the detrimental influence of social media on the youth, highlighting its role in propagating norms conflicting with the country's religious and cultural values and inciting animosity based on linguistic and religious differences.
Senator Tangi emphasized concerns regarding the exploitation of social media channels to undermine the country's interests, particularly through the dissemination of negative and slanderous content targeting the Pakistani armed forces. Additionally, the resolution identifies the rampant spread of fake news across these platforms and the deliberate promotion of fabricated leadership figures aimed at deceiving the younger generation.
While the resolution refrains from explicitly naming individuals or political entities, it is widely interpreted as implicitly referencing the incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Khan and PTI have notably leveraged social media platforms to mobilize support among the youth demographic. Notably, their utilization of social media, particularly video posts depicting the opulent lifestyles of military officials on May 9, 2023, triggered significant repercussions within the influential establishment.
