A Punjab Assembly committee has made the decision to place a ban on the distribution of books, newspapers, and has ordered authorities to act against social media accounts allegedly containing blasphemous content.
According to a report in Dawn, the Punjab Assembly’s Special Committee-6 has decided to ban the publication and/or distribution of three 'blasphemous' books and one daily newspaper. The books include ‘The First Muslim’ and ‘After The Prophet’ by foreign author Lesley Hazleton, and ‘History of Islam’ by Mazharul Haq. Moreover, an Ahmadi newspaper, ‘Al-Fazl’, has also been banned.
Furthermore, the committee directed the police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take immediate action against around 127 social media accounts containing 'blasphemous' material.
A minister told media that there were numerous foreign and local books containing blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions and family, adding that these books must be banned.
He added that because taking action against imported books fell under the purview of the federal assembly, the issue had also been raised in the National Assembly.
He added that for the purpose of apprehending people involved in publication and distribution of blasphemous content, representatives of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and other relevant departments and agencies would be summoned in the next meeting to come up with a plan in the matter.