Senior analyst Muzamal Suharwrady said on Friday that the army is working on the creation of a ‘digital firewall’ to curb misuse of social media, which is in its final stages and will become functional on May 30, 2024.
While speaking at a program on Naya Daur TV, he said that Saudi Arabia and China already have such firewalls, and Pakistan will soon have this technology. A digital firewall will enable the state to control inappropriate use of social media, which is being used to spread fake news and defame institutions, he added.
Suharwardy also said that restrictions on X, formerly known as Twitter, will be lifted once the firewall becomes functional on May 30.
While responding to a question regarding Army Chief General Asif Munir's recent address in which he said the army is well aware of its constitutional limits and expects others to uphold the Constitution, the analyst said that there are two possibilities: either the army chief was giving a message to a segment of the judiciary who claims military establishments interfere in judicial affairs or the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) who claims that the army violates the constitution.
To another question, Suharwardy said that Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has given a four-day ultimatum to the government to address the miseries of farmers. He said that it is a fact that farmers are suffering as the government is not purchasing wheat grains from them, but the JI’s plan to use farmers’ miseries to put pressure on the government will not succeed. The opposition is seeking the support of any segment that wants to stage a protest against the government.
While talking about Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he said that JUI-F held a public rally in Karachi despite a ban by the Sindh government, which is equivalent to challenging the writ of the Sindh government, but the provincial government will not take any action against the party because the federal government has a soft corner for Maulana Fazlur Rehman.