Government initiates ‘cyber patrolling’
To combat sectarianism during Muharram, the Punjab Home Department has established the province’s inaugural Cyber Patrolling and Quick Response Cell.
The advanced unit will function continuously to surveil social media platforms for inappropriate and incendiary content, and to initiate prompt legal measures against offenders.
On June 30, official releases indicated that the Punjab Police documented nine cases in the preceding 24 hours concerning the online dissemination of sectarian and hateful material.
Ten individuals have been apprehended in relation to these cases—eight for disseminating content on Facebook and two for sharing material through WhatsApp. Arrests occurred in Sargodha, Sahiwal, Lodhran, Bhakkar, Khanewal, Rajanpur, and Layyah.
Dr. Usman Anwar, Inspector General of Police Punjab, confirmed that the force is diligently combating digital incitement of religious animosity.
“He cautioned that individuals utilising social media to propagate sectarianism will encounter the full extent of legal repercussions.”
The newly established cyber cell is located within the central control room of the Home Department and functions in conjunction with the Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) and the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB).
It surveils digital platforms for hate speech, misinformation, and incendiary content.
The reported material is communicated to the Special Branch, which subsequently collaborates with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to obstruct such content.
To date, the unit has identified 271 social media accounts to the PTA, leading to the apprehension of 17 individuals engaged in disseminating sectarian hatred online.
The cell is completely integrated with Punjab’s Safe City infrastructure and obtains real-time updates from district-level control centres.
A dedicated “Muharram e-Portal” has been created to connect all districts with the central unit for efficient coordination and incident reporting.
Real-time monitoring of significant Muharram processions and religious assemblies is being executed from the control room.
The initiative was evaluated at the 31st meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order, convened at the Home Department and presided over by Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique.
The meeting was attended by Provincial Minister Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, Home Secretary Dr. Ahmad Javed Qazi, and senior officials from the police, Counter Terrorism Department, Rangers, and other law enforcement agencies.
During the meeting, Rafique emphasised that maintaining peace throughout Muharram is the foremost priority of the provincial government. More than 150,000 law enforcement officers have been stationed throughout Punjab, with assistance from the Pakistan Army and Rangers. Section 144 will be implemented on the 9th and 10th of Muharram to prohibit pillion riding, and a comprehensive ban has been instituted on the public exhibition of weapons.
He also affirmed that comprehensive security measures have been established for the forthcoming Urs of Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Ganj Shakar.
The Home Department implored the public to utilise social media judiciously and cautioned that individuals disseminating sectarian or inflammatory material would face stringent legal repercussions.
