Pakpattan:
An administrator of the WhatsApp group was arrested for having pretended to allow a derogatory message targeting the chief minister of the PENDJAB, Maryam Nawaz, to circulate in the group under the law of 2016 on the prevention of electronic crimes.
A complaint filed with the Farid Nagar police station accuses a member of the group of sharing an offensive message and the administrator of looking at his distribution.
According to the first information report (FIR) dated January 23, the message, described as container of “coarse language”, was posted via the group’s mobile number.
The group’s administrator, a resident of Shaheed Nagar, would not have deleted the defamatory message when he knew he was “immoral, offensive and illegal”. Instead, he is accused of having “given the other members of the group an opportunity to consult the message” and to have tried to “sow chaos among the public”.
The FIR cites violations of article 20 of the PECA (attacks on the dignity of a natural person) and article 509 of the Pakistani penal code (Insult to modesty or sexual harassment).
The district police officer (DPO) Pakpattan Javed Iqbal Chaddar confirmed the arrest under the old PECA in Pakpattan.
“A suspect published a malicious and insulting message against the chief minister of the Pendjab in the WhatsApp group. The group’s administrator was arrested,” he said.
According to the DPO, Farid Nagar police acted quickly on his orders after the publication has become viral on social networks. Sub-inspector Muhammad Mansha, the complainant, filed a complaint, which prompted the Sho Rana Shehzad Akram to arrest the accused.
“A more in -depth investigation is underway,” said the DPO, adding that the police were determined to combat the abusive use of social media platforms to spread hatred or troubles.