An anti-terrorism court has jailed a mand for 13 years after he posted what it deemed sectarian hate speech on Facebook, officials said Monday, with rights activists condemning the ruling as “extremely concerning”. Saqlain Haidar, 32, who ran a small hotel in Chiniot was also fined Rs250,000 for “posting hateful material against companions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)”, an official of the Counter Terrorism Department told AFP, requesting anonymity. Abdul Majeed, a senior local counter-terrorism official, confirmed the incident. “The convict was arrested on October 27 after locals complained about him and he was charged for spreading sectarian hatred under various clauses of the anti-terrorism act,” he told AFP. Majeed said the accused was released on bail a day later, then arrested and imprisoned on November 21 after the court convicted him. Having a strict stance regarding hate speech is essential to curb this growing problem. However, it will never be truly effective unless there is a way of gauging the content as inciting, rather than arbitrary arrests off social media. Rather than curbing free speech, the authorities will be well advised to set up surveillance on those individuals that are who are voicing hate speech. By putting people in jail for random acts on Facebook, ones that have no evidence of actually instigating hate, it will be counterproductive. People who indulge in hate speech, will simply act on it, but will not turn to social media for spreading their hate. They will just find another medium to carry out their mission.Pakistan needs a comprehensive approach to solve the growing problems of hate speech, from which it is tremendously suffering from. A witch-hunt on social media is the last thing that this country needs. Seminaries and educational institutions that are promoting hate speech must be brought under the law, where only a concrete policy will curb the actual fear and consequences that come with it.
pk.shafaqna.com
