Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif to decide fate of social media platforms during Muharram
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would decide the fate of social media platforms such as YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok during the Muharram festival as the Punjab government sought a ban on them, citing the need to control “hate material”.
Shiite Muslims hold large gatherings during the festival to observe the martyrdom of the grandson of the prophet of Islam.
The Muslims generally observe his martyrdom as a symbol of resistance to tyranny, and the Shiite Muslims take out rallies during the first ten days of Muharram which culminate into huge processions on the 9th and 10th of the month.
The Sunni Muslims have a historic theological rivalry with the Shiites, and extremist Sunni groups brand them as heretics and target them through bombings, with Pakistan witnessing numerous such attacks in the past.
To disrupt communication among the militants, governments in Pakistan traditionally undertake elaborate security measures during Muharram, including suspension of internet, cell phone and social media services to avoid acts of terrorism.
The Punjab government had asked the federal government to suspend access to social media from July 6 to 11 to control the spread of misinformation and hate material to prevent sectarian violence.
This week, the provincial home department, through a letter to the Interior Ministry, recommended suspending “Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, X, TikTok, etc. across the province”.
The Ministry of Interior after a meeting held on Friday deferred a decision on the Punjab government’s request, according to an overnight statement.
It stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would make the final decision on the matter, adding that the requests of the provinces had “neither been rejected nor accepted”.
The statement did not reveal which provinces other than Punjab had made such requests but indicated that Punjab was not the only one to have sought this.
Muharram is expected to begin on Sunday or Monday on the condition of the sighting of the moon.
Separately, a body of clerics tasked to sight the moon is meeting this evening to decide the beginning of Muharram.
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
