<p>Social media users in Pakistan slammed the country's national poet <strong>Alama Iqbal's</strong> statue in a Lahore park&nbsp;for being badly made with the hastag #AllamaIqbal dominating Twitter.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Just Saw this and got very disappointed. Is it Allama Iqbal’s statue? 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/LeL16yOytH">pic.twitter.com/LeL16yOytH</a></p>
— Shahjhan Malik | #WearAMask (@shahjhan_malikk) <a href="https://twitter.com/shahjhan_malikk/status/1356513733690982402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Twitterati was further enraged after Yasir Gillani the city’s parks and horticulture authority (PHA) chairman said that it was "prepared by<em> maalis </em>at their own and they made it with love for Iqbal and to pay homage from their heart."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dear, this is prepared by maalis at their own , they made it in shere love for Iqbal and to pay homage from their heart. Authority didn't approved or even paid a single penny for it.<br />
WE WILL ADDRESS IT but can anyone see from maalis eye's, their love and their عقیدت, <a href="https://t.co/qAdf0Nw4E9">pic.twitter.com/qAdf0Nw4E9</a></p>
— Yasir Gillani PTI (@yasir_gillani) <a href="https://twitter.com/yasir_gillani/status/1356512137376649216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>Several people on social media&nbsp;asked the statue to be removed including Pakistan's Punjab&nbsp;chief minister Usman Buzdar. The statue was unveiled on Pakistan's 73rd Independence Day on August 14 last year however it came into focus this year.</p>

<p>Iqbal who was a lawyer was known for his Urdu and Persian poetry. He is still followed by many in Pakistan and is revered as a national icon.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="in">Punjab govt remove statue of Alama Iqbal and tweets<br />
Le IQBAL <a href="https://t.co/RcLwdAaYPQ">pic.twitter.com/RcLwdAaYPQ</a></p>
— No one's valentine (@BABL00_) <a href="https://twitter.com/BABL00_/status/1356585459435061249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This picture tell us what u are and what trying to make 🤗🤣😂<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/alamaiqbal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#alamaiqbal</a> <a href="https://t.co/eYWDJ5ycdm">pic.twitter.com/eYWDJ5ycdm</a></p>
— Huma Sultan (@HumaSultan7) <a href="https://twitter.com/HumaSultan7/status/1356703262875992064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">😀If you can see the resemblance, I think the art resembles more Gen.Bajwa than Alama Iqbal sahab.. <a href="https://t.co/Z6vkKEfSrj">pic.twitter.com/Z6vkKEfSrj</a></p>
— 𝙔𝘼𝙎𝙎𝙀𝙍 𝙍𝙊𝙉𝘼𝙇𝘿𝙊 (@yasserronaldo99) <a href="https://twitter.com/yasserronaldo99/status/1356523377440280581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Social media users in Pakistan slammed the country's national poet Alama Iqbal's statue in a Lahore park for being badly made with the hastag #AllamaIqbal dominating Twitter.

Social media users in Pakistan slammed the country's national poet Alama Iqbal's statue in a Lahore park for being badly made with the hastag #AllamaIqbal dominating Twitter. Just Saw this and got very disappointed. Is it Allama Iqbal’s statue? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/LeL16yOytH — Shahjhan Malik | #WearAMask (@shahjhan_malikk) February 2, 2021 × The Twitterati was further enraged after Yasir Gillani the city’s parks and horticulture authority (PHA) chairman said that it was "prepared by maalis at their own and they made it with love for Iqbal and to pay homage from their heart." Dear, this is prepared by maalis at their own , they made it in shere love for Iqbal and to pay homage from their heart. Authority didn't approved or even paid a single penny for it. WE WILL ADDRESS IT but can anyone see from maalis eye's, their love and their عقیدت, pic.twitter.com/qAdf0Nw4E9 — Yasir Gillani PTI (@yasir_gillani) February 2, 2021 × Several people on social media asked the statue to be removed including Pakistan's Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar. The statue was unveiled on Pakistan's 73rd Independence Day on August 14 last year however it came into focus this year. Iqbal who was a lawyer was known for his Urdu and Persian poetry. He is still followed by many in Pakistan and is revered as a national icon. Punjab govt remove statue of Alama Iqbal and tweets Le IQBAL pic.twitter.com/RcLwdAaYPQ — No one's valentine (@BABL00_) February 2, 2021 × This picture tell us what u are and what trying to make 🤗🤣😂#alamaiqbal pic.twitter.com/eYWDJ5ycdm — Huma Sultan (@HumaSultan7) February 2, 2021 × 😀If you can see the resemblance, I think the art resembles more Gen.Bajwa than Alama Iqbal sahab.. pic.twitter.com/Z6vkKEfSrj — 𝙔𝘼𝙎𝙎𝙀𝙍 𝙍𝙊𝙉𝘼𝙇𝘿𝙊 (@yasserronaldo99) February 2, 2021 ×

Twitterati in Pakistan slam poet Iqbal's statue in Lahore park

<p>India on Wednesday accused Pakistan of propagating fake news through social media platforms calling it "malicious propaganda, misinformation, #infodemic, fake news."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Malicious propaganda, misinformation, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/infodemic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#infodemic</a>, fake news. Call it what you may.<br />
<br />
Do read this report from the <a href="https://twitter.com/stanfordio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stanfordio</a> on motivated false propaganda from Pakistan.<br />
<br />
The truth is out for the world to see. <a href="https://twitter.com/UN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MEAIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/IndianDiplomacy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IndianDiplomacy</a> <a href="https://t.co/grYjBcuPXw">https://t.co/grYjBcuPXw</a></p>
— India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) <a href="https://twitter.com/IndiaUNNewYork/status/1300862629112680449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations tweeted a report by the Stanford Internet Observatory(SIO) which said that Pakistan based Facebook and Instagram accounts leveraged mass reporting to silence critics.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-blocks-tinder-other-dating-apps-over-immoral-content-324562">Also Read:&nbsp;Pakistan blocks Tinder, other dating apps over 'immoral' content</a></p>

<p>"On August 31, 2020, Facebook suspended 103 pages, 78 groups, 453 Facebook accounts, and 107 Instagram accounts for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour. As it notes in its takedown report, Facebook attributed this network to individuals in Pakistan," the SIO report said.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">📢 Out today: A Mass Reporting Op on <a href="https://twitter.com/Facebook?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Facebook</a> in Pakistan - our amazing team of researchers gave up their weekend to conduct this fascinating analysis. Read 🧵 from <a href="https://twitter.com/shelbygrossman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@shelbygrossman</a> ⤵️<a href="https://t.co/tIYq9BE2Zc">https://t.co/tIYq9BE2Zc</a> <a href="https://t.co/6fowcJGqsj">https://t.co/6fowcJGqsj</a></p>
— Stanford Internet Observatory (@stanfordio) <a href="https://twitter.com/stanfordio/status/1300850815901380615?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p>The SIO said that it found "the network also had messaging praising the Pakistani military, along with some Indian military fan Pages and groups of unclear purpose. The network appears to have primarily targeted Pakistanis and Indians; posts were in Urdu, Hindi, English, and Punjabi."</p>

<p>The report said that Facebook reported that 70,000 accounts followed at least one of the pages and 1.1 million users belonged to the groups.</p>

<p>"Many pages and groups posted Pakistani nationalist content, praising the Inter-Services intelligence agency and ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party," it said.</p>


India on Wednesday accused Pakistan of propagating fake news through social media platforms calling it "malicious propaganda, misinformation, #infodemic, fake news.

India on Wednesday accused Pakistan of propagating fake news through social media platforms calling it "malicious propaganda, misinformation, #infodemic, fake news." Malicious propaganda, misinformation, #infodemic, fake news. Call it what you may. Do read this report from the @stanfordio on motivated false propaganda from Pakistan. The truth is out for the world to see. @UN @MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy https://t.co/grYjBcuPXw — India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) September 1, 2020 × The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations tweeted a report by the Stanford Internet Observatory(SIO) which said that Pakistan based Facebook and Instagram accounts leveraged mass reporting to silence critics. Also Read: Pakistan blocks Tinder, other dating apps over 'immoral' content "On August 31, 2020, Facebook suspended 103 pages, 78 groups, 453 Facebook accounts, and 107 Instagram accounts for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour. As it notes in its takedown report, Facebook attributed this network to individuals in Pakistan," the SIO report said. 📢 Out today: A Mass Reporting Op on @Facebook in Pakistan - our amazing team of researchers gave up their weekend to conduct this fascinating analysis. Read 🧵 from @shelbygrossman ⤵️https://t.co/tIYq9BE2Zc https://t.co/6fowcJGqsj — Stanford Internet Observatory (@stanfordio) September 1, 2020 × The SIO said that it found "the network also had messaging praising the Pakistani military, along with some Indian military fan Pages and groups of unclear purpose. The network appears to have primarily targeted Pakistanis and Indians; posts were in Urdu, Hindi, English, and Punjabi." The report said that Facebook reported that 70,000 accounts followed at least one of the pages and 1.1 million users belonged to the groups. "Many pages and groups posted Pakistani nationalist content, praising the Inter-Services intelligence agency and ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party," it said.

'Misinformation, fake news': India calls out Pakistan over false propaganda on social media after Stanford Internet Observatory report

India on Wednesday accused Pakistan of propagating fake news through social media platforms calling it "malicious propaganda, misinformation, #infodemic, fake news."

India calls out Pakistan for motivated false propaganda on social media

<p>Senators in Pakistan have called for amending the country&#39;s blasphemy law to prevent its misuse and punish those who make blasphemy accusations against others.</p>

<p>Lawmakers also demanded a crackdown on those taking law into their hands.</p>

<p>This comes after Abdul Wali Khan University students Mashal and Abdullah were targeted by a violent mob on campus premises. Mashal was killed, while Abdullah was injured for allegedly &quot;publishing blasphemous content online&quot;.</p>

<p>Condemning the lynching of Mashal Khan, senators stressed on the need for effective steps to prevent misuse of the blasphemy law.</p>

<p>Speaking about the blatant misuse of the law, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)&#39;s Farhatullah Babar said a religious scholar had proposed that accusers who levelled false accusations should also suffer the same sentence as provided for a blasphemer.</p>

<p>&#39;The assassination of Mashal Khan should make us think about concrete measures to prevent the misuse of the blasphemy law; we need to revisit this law,&#39; Dawn quoted Babar, as saying.</p>

<p>Responding to Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani question as to how mob and street justice could be stopped, Babar said that an effective legislation would prevent such a mentality.</p>

<p>Asserting that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance and prohibits any excesses, even against animals, Retired Gen Abdul Qayyum of the PML-N also called for flaws in the blasphemy law to be addressed.</p>

<p>JI chief Siraj-ul-Haq said that no individual or organisation had the right to punish that individual unilaterally even if someone was guilty of a crime.</p>

<p>&#39;This shows an imbalance and lack of tolerance in society,&#39; he said.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the Pakistan Police has opened a hate speech investigation against two clerics in connection with the killing of a university student over allegations of blasphemy.</p>

<p>The clerics are accused of attempting to disrupt the funeral of Mashal Khan, a student of Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan who was killed by a violent mob on campus premises after a dormitory debate followed accusations of blasphemy.</p>

<p>According to the Dawn, the police is investigating the clerics in Mashal&#39;s hometown of Swabi for attempting to disrupt funeral proceedings and instigate hatred against his family.</p>

<p>&quot;The two clerics [used]... the mosque loudspeaker for hate speech against the slain student and his family and ... created hurdles for the people and another cleric to participate in the funeral,&quot; said a senior Swabi police official.</p>

<p>A local imam had reportedly refused to lead Khan&#39;s funeral prayers last Friday and a technician who was asked to do so in the cleric&#39;s place was confronted by several people afterwards.</p>

<p>A large number of protestors took to the streets on Monday in the Zaida town, to defend Mashal as they chanted slogans &quot;Be Gunah, Be Gunah (innocent), Mashal Khan Be Gunah.&quot; Relatives and friends, political workers and representatives of civil society groups and the general public participated in the march.</p>

<p>It was probably for the first time in the area that a large number of women, with their heads covered, took part in a mourning procession that turned into a public meeting at a square in the town, reports the Dawn.</p>

<p>Mardan police on Sunday claimed to have arrested seven more suspects in relation to the case with the total number of those arrested reaching 20.</p>

<p>All the seven suspects were produced in the court of a magistrate on special duty on Sunday who remanded them in police custody for a day.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Inspector General Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Monday said there was no evidence to suggest that Mashal committed blasphemy.</p>

<p>(ANI)</p>


A student of the Abdul Wali Khan University, Mashal died after being lynched for 'publishing blasphemous content online'

Senators in Pakistan have called for amending the country's blasphemy law to prevent its misuse and punish those who make blasphemy accusations against others. Lawmakers also demanded a crackdown on those taking law into their hands. This comes after Abdul Wali Khan University students Mashal and Abdullah were targeted by a violent mob on campus premises. Mashal was killed, while Abdullah was injured for allegedly "publishing blasphemous content online". Condemning the lynching of Mashal Khan, senators stressed on the need for effective steps to prevent misuse of the blasphemy law. Speaking about the blatant misuse of the law, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)'s Farhatullah Babar said a religious scholar had proposed that accusers who levelled false accusations should also suffer the same sentence as provided for a blasphemer. 'The assassination of Mashal Khan should make us think about concrete measures to prevent the misuse of the blasphemy law; we need to revisit this law,' Dawn quoted Babar, as saying. Responding to Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani question as to how mob and street justice could be stopped, Babar said that an effective legislation would prevent such a mentality. Asserting that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance and prohibits any excesses, even against animals, Retired Gen Abdul Qayyum of the PML-N also called for flaws in the blasphemy law to be addressed. JI chief Siraj-ul-Haq said that no individual or organisation had the right to punish that individual unilaterally even if someone was guilty of a crime. 'This shows an imbalance and lack of tolerance in society,' he said. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Police has opened a hate speech investigation against two clerics in connection with the killing of a university student over allegations of blasphemy. The clerics are accused of attempting to disrupt the funeral of Mashal Khan, a student of Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan who was killed by a violent mob on campus premises after a dormitory debate followed accusations of blasphemy. According to the Dawn, the police is investigating the clerics in Mashal's hometown of Swabi for attempting to disrupt funeral proceedings and instigate hatred against his family. "The two clerics [used]... the mosque loudspeaker for hate speech against the slain student and his family and ... created hurdles for the people and another cleric to participate in the funeral," said a senior Swabi police official. A local imam had reportedly refused to lead Khan's funeral prayers last Friday and a technician who was asked to do so in the cleric's place was confronted by several people afterwards. A large number of protestors took to the streets on Monday in the Zaida town, to defend Mashal as they chanted slogans "Be Gunah, Be Gunah (innocent), Mashal Khan Be Gunah." Relatives and friends, political workers and representatives of civil society groups and the general public participated in the march. It was probably for the first time in the area that a large number of women, with their heads covered, took part in a mourning procession that turned into a public meeting at a square in the town, reports the Dawn. Mardan police on Sunday claimed to have arrested seven more suspects in relation to the case with the total number of those arrested reaching 20. All the seven suspects were produced in the court of a magistrate on special duty on Sunday who remanded them in police custody for a day. Meanwhile, Inspector General Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Monday said there was no evidence to suggest that Mashal committed blasphemy. (ANI)

After student's death, Pakistan senators call for amendments to blasphemy law

<p>Facebook has assured Pakistan that concerns about blasphemous content on the social media site will be addressed and a company delegation will visit this week to discuss the issue with the government, the interior minister said on Tuesday.</p>

<p>Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif earlier this month ordered that blasphemous content on social media be removed or blocked and that anyone posting such material be punished, and the government requested a meeting with Facebook.</p>

<p>Blasphemy is a criminal offence in the strictly Islamic country and can carry the death penalty.</p>

<p>Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, quoting from what he said was a letter from Facebook&#39;s vice president received a day earlier, told reporters: &quot;I wanted to reiterate that Facebook takes the concerns raised by the Pakistani government very seriously. We have also committed our representative to meet with you and senior officials of your government.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Khan described this message as a &quot;very big improvement&quot; from Facebook as, he said, the US&nbsp;social media giant generally had not responded to such complaints in the past.</p>

<p>He said Facebook through Pakistan&#39;s ambassador in the United States has told him that over the past few months it had blocked 62 blasphemous webpages, and 45 in the past several days alone.</p>

<p>&quot;We see it very positively that at the highest level Facebook has responded and takes this issue seriously.&quot;</p>

<p>He said Pakistan&#39;s Washington ambassador had spoken to the FBI and Justice Department to underline Islambad&#39;s concerns and both agencies had been receptive.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There was no immediate comment from Facebook.</p>

<p>Last week, Khan warned he would close social media sites that fail to prevent online blasphemy, but gave no details.</p>

<p>Facebook data indicate the social media app has about 25-30 million active users in Pakistan even though Internet penetration remains poor in the South Asian nation. Facebook&#39;s Instagram unit and rival Twitter are also popular.</p>

<p>The ruling PML-N party&#39;s tough talk against blasphemy will appeal to its conservative voter base ahead of elections likely to take place next year.<br />
At least 65 people, including lawyers, defendants and judges, have been murdered by Islamist militants over blasphemy allegations in Pakistan since 1990, according to think-tank figures and local media.</p>

<p>(Reuters)</p>


A delegation from Facebook will visit Pakistan this week to discuss the issue with the government

Facebook has assured Pakistan that concerns about blasphemous content on the social media site will be addressed and a company delegation will visit this week to discuss the issue with the government, the interior minister said on Tuesday. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif earlier this month ordered that blasphemous content on social media be removed or blocked and that anyone posting such material be punished, and the government requested a meeting with Facebook. Blasphemy is a criminal offence in the strictly Islamic country and can carry the death penalty. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, quoting from what he said was a letter from Facebook's vice president received a day earlier, told reporters: "I wanted to reiterate that Facebook takes the concerns raised by the Pakistani government very seriously. We have also committed our representative to meet with you and senior officials of your government." Khan described this message as a "very big improvement" from Facebook as, he said, the US social media giant generally had not responded to such complaints in the past. He said Facebook through Pakistan's ambassador in the United States has told him that over the past few months it had blocked 62 blasphemous webpages, and 45 in the past several days alone. "We see it very positively that at the highest level Facebook has responded and takes this issue seriously." He said Pakistan's Washington ambassador had spoken to the FBI and Justice Department to underline Islambad's concerns and both agencies had been receptive. There was no immediate comment from Facebook. Last week, Khan warned he would close social media sites that fail to prevent online blasphemy, but gave no details. Facebook data indicate the social media app has about 25-30 million active users in Pakistan even though Internet penetration remains poor in the South Asian nation. Facebook's Instagram unit and rival Twitter are also popular. The ruling PML-N party's tough talk against blasphemy will appeal to its conservative voter base ahead of elections likely to take place next year. At least 65 people, including lawyers, defendants and judges, have been murdered by Islamist militants over blasphemy allegations in Pakistan since 1990, according to think-tank figures and local media. (Reuters)

Facebook vows  to tackle concerns over blasphemous content: Pakistan