Pakistan Man Arrested For Sharing “Blasphemous” Content On Facebook

LAHORE – A young man inPakistan’s Punjab Province hasbeen arrested for sharing blasphemouscontent onFacebook, as the governmentlaunched a crackdown on thespread of such content onsocial media.Authorities arrested RazaKharal in Toba Tek Singh districtof Pakistan’s Punjabprovince, about 200 kilometresfrom here, for sharing blasphemouscontent on Facebook.A blasphemy case was registeredagainst Kharal for sharingmaterial containing objectionablelanguage on hisFacebook wall, a police officialsaid.He said the police hadtaken action on the complaintof local cleric Maulana Salim.Punjab law minister RanaSanaullah has said the PakistanTelecommunication Authorityhas been requested to removeall objectionable and blasphemousmaterial from theFacebook and other socialmedia.”We have also requested theFederal Investigation Agencyto take action against thosespreading hate materialthrough social media,”Sanuallah said.This comes afterPakistan government orderedstrict action against anyonepropagating religious sectarianismthrough social media ormobile phones in the wake of aseries of recent sectarian clashesin the country. The armywas called in to take control ofRawalpindi city and curfew wasimposed on Friday after tenpeople were killed and 44 othersinjured in clashes that startedwhen a Shia procession waspassing through Raja Bazar.