ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing has launched a crackdown on the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) social media accounts and detained several people.
According to a statement, the investigation agency has so far arrested 12 people from different cities including Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur and Nankana Sahib and opened an investigation.
The agency maintained that the arrested individuals were suspected of involvement in uploading hate-inciting material and doctored images on the internet through the TLP’s social media handles.
The development was also confirmed by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Friday. In a tweet, he said during an important operation last night 32 activists of a banned outfit had been arrested.
The Information Minister said that the arrested people were spreading hatred through fake social media accounts. He said that big action against those spreading fake news and propaganda has been launched and more arrests would be made soon.
The FIA started monitoring the social media posts after which a man named Hamza Sheikh was arrested from Islamabad and transferred to a cell. The others were arrested after that and the FIA was probing into the matter.
A day earlier, Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said the TLP would not be treated as a political party and urged other concerned departments, especially the ECP, to play their role in this regard.
In case the top court decides to ban the TLP, its lawmakers might also be disqualified. The TLP is registered as a political party with the ECP despite being listed as a proscribed outfit.
