Suspect arrested for criticizing army in Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Authorities in northeastern Pakistan have made the first ever formal arrest of a suspect for allegedly criticizing the country’s powerful armed forces under a controversial cybercrime law, according to local media on Wednesday.

The move comes after the interior minister warned two weeks back that any “unwarranted criticism” of the country’s security forces and institutions would not be allowed.

While this is the first time a suspect has been formally charged and arrested for criticizing the army, several people, including bloggers and journalists have been picked up by intelligence agencies in the past for their online criticism; some of these people who only voiced their opinions online were kept in illegal custody for weeks and were also allegedly subjected to torture during their detentions.

According to English daily Dawn, the Federal Investigation Authority arrested Adnan Afzal from northeastern Lahore city -- the provincial capital of Punjab province -- on Tuesday under a controversial cybercrime law following orders from the Interior Ministry.

Afzal was accused of posting a series of tweets and running a Facebook page that allegedly contained anti-Pakistani army content.

The suspect is said to be associated with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by the country’s former cricket hero Imran Khan; however, the party denies the links.

He was also charged with impersonation and defamation.

Shahid Hassan, head of the authority’s cybercrime wing told reporters, the arrest had been made after obtaining warrants from a court.

“This is the first case lodged and arrest made in a crackdown against an anti-armed forces campaign on social media,” Hassan said.

More suspects have been identified and will be taken into custody in the coming days, he added.

Last week, authorities had summoned more than a dozen social media activists on suspicion of running an anti-army campaign on digital platforms, but were released after authorities could not prove the charge against them.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had ordered a crackdown against the so-called anti-military campaign on social media two weeks ago, following a tweet from the Pakistani army rejecting a government notification in connection with a story published in daily Dawn.

The Dawn story published few months ago quoted top government officials blaming the army in an internal security meeting for not taking action against all militants, conceding another blow to an already fragile civil-military relationship.

Major opposition parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party and the PTI have opposed the government crackdown on social media, terming it a move to curb freedom of expression.

The interior minister, however, had rejected the opposition’s apprehension saying the government had no plans to shut down social media but “unwarranted criticism of security forces and other institutions responsible for the country’s defense will not be allowed”.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a rights group, termed the crackdown a direct attack on freedom of expression.

"The constitution of Pakistan, and other international laws allow every individual to express his political ideas. Any move to curb this freedom is tantamount to flouting the country's constitution," Asad Iqbal Butt, vice president of the commission, told Anadolu Agency.

"If we accept this move today, there will be harsher bans tomorrow,” he added.