LAHORE: Lahore High Court’s Justice Azmat Saeed summoned a representative of the Information Technology Ministry on May 24 on a petition requesting imposition of a permanent ban on Facebook, a social networking website, for holding an objectionable and blasphemous contest again, called `Second Annual Draw Muhammad Day-May 20, 2011’.

The judge directed Deputy Attorney General Ziaul Qamar Bhatti to convey the order to the ministry and ensure its representative’s presence with respect to the enforcement of the order dated February 28 on earlier petitions. Muhammad and Ahmad, a public interest litigation company, through its Chairman Muhammad Azhar Siddique, moved the petition.

The petitioner said that the government should be directed to establish a permanent authority, having legal status, which should monitor blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and other prophets and ban such content.

He also sought directions for the federal government to stop the display of material with respect to blasphemy of any religion or the holy prophets on Facebook and all other such websites in Pakistan. Siddique requested that Facebook and other websites should be permanently blocked or banned in Pakistan for airing, placing or visualising blasphemous caricatures of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and be permanently restrained from committing blasphemy in Pakistan.

He also requested that due to the contest the Civil Lines Police Station station house officer should be directed to register a criminal case under section 295-C and other relevant provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against the perpetrators.

The petitioner had earlier moved a petition, upon which a case had been lodged against the administration of Facebook and the court had directed the government to keep a strict check on the display of material hurting the religious sentiments of people.
Source: Daily Times
Date:5/20/2011