Sindh Senior Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon said that fake news is a major issue and that individuals and their families are being harmed by it. He stated that anyone can file a complaint against fake news with the Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency, and that the federal government has also enacted the PECA Act.
Speaking in the Sindh Assembly, Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that a defamation law also exists, but he does not recall anyone being punished under it. He gave the example that when a channel is penalized in the UK, it issues an apology.
He said that a resolution on the issue of fake news should be introduced in the Sindh Assembly and that a parliamentary committee should be formed to prepare recommendations for legislation and implementation. He emphasized that they are not against freedom of expression, but against fake news.
Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the province should also have an authority empowered to take direct action if any channel or individual spreads false news. He added that the parliamentary committee should examine the issue and propose solutions to all related problems.
He said that decisions regarding which newspapers receive government advertisements should be made independently and entrusted to APNS.
“We want to empower the APNS so that our work becomes easier and this can serve as the best system for newspaper advertising,” he said, adding that despite repeated written letters, no substantial response was received from APNS.
Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that everyone has the right to protest, but no one has the right to harm the public.
He said that everyone has the right to speak in the Assembly. Referring to Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Hafiz Naeem, who is also a member of the Assembly, he questioned why he does not come to the House to raise his voice. “He holds daily press conferences, so why does he not come here?” he asked. “Should everyone be given official permission to block roads wherever they wish?”
He said Shahrah-e-Faisal was closed a few days ago. On the day of the incident, the police administration, along with Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, had informed them that entry into the red zone would not be allowed. When the police stopped others from entering the red zone, stones were allegedly thrown, and former MPA Abdul Rashid reportedly urged workers to attack the police. “Is this not terrorism?” he asked.
He said that under the guise of democracy and protest, no one has the right to cause harm. He questioned why Hafiz Naeem, a member of the Assembly, holds a press conference every day at 11:30 a.m. but does not take part in proceedings in the House. Despite a ban on protests on Shahrah-e-Faisal, he said, roads were blocked. He added that the Sindh government is ready to provide an alternative venue for protests and had stopped Jamaat-e-Islami from entering the red zone. “Where is the democracy in attempting to force entry?” he asked.
Sharjeel Inam Memon said that Jamaat-e-Islami workers threw stones at the police and that former MPA Abdul Rashid instructed them to do so. He questioned whether the police are helpless and whether attacking the police does not constitute terrorism. “Are police officers not citizens of Karachi? Do they not have families?” he asked. He said that although the government prevented Jamaat-e-Islami from entering the red zone, the party took the law into its own hands.
He said that members are free to speak in the House, but it is inappropriate to inconvenience the public by blocking roads.
He said that roads were deliberately blocked to create disruption in Karachi and gain media attention, adding that workers were incited to attack the police. “Speak for two hours on the Assembly floor, but do not create chaos on the roads and block Shahrah-e-Faisal,” he said.
He said that if everyone is allowed to block roads across the country at will, public life would come to a standstill. He added that sit-ins were held at ten locations in the city yesterday, causing significant inconvenience to citizens.
Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon also apologized for police violence against PTI workers and said he was ashamed of the violence against an MPA, calling it strongly condemnable. “Whatever is wrong is wrong,” he said. He added that their leader, Ms. Faryal Talpur, was arrested from a hospital; that those who spoke on talk shows were taken away by NAB; that Khursheed Shah was arrested from Islamabad; and that the late Agha Siraj Durrani was also arrested. He said that people were arrested through fabricated cases at that time and that many remained unaware. He recalled that President Asif Ali Zardari had said they would endure such actions but could not tolerate them indefinitely, adding that similar situations are occurring again today.