PTA; February 2023:  The state in Pakistan seems to be fully committed to its religious agenda, and its various branches are bending backward, or they are being made to bend backward, to implement it. Before we offer our comments, we produce below translation of a Warning issued by Pakistan Telecommunications Authority.

Warning

For Social Media/Internet Users

It is to inform the public that according to the Publication of the Holy Quran (error-free publication and recording) Act 1973, any publication or recording of the Holy Quran published by unregistered publishers of the Holy Quran; or any published Quran or any section of Quran, in any form (book, record, curricular book, etc.) recorded or published in which any word, alphabet, vowel (Araab) has been replaced, or sequence of any verse or chapter has been altered; or any translation or commentary by a non-Muslim which contradicts the beliefs of Muslims; in all of the above-mentioned situations, the perpetrators of such crimes will be subjected to severest punishments.

Moreover, under section 295-B of Pakistan Penal Code, the blasphemer of the Holy Quran, its pages or its excerpts, may be imprisoned for life.

So, the public (Muslim and non-Muslim citizens) is requested exercise utmost care regarding religious matters, holy scriptures, holy personages; and demonstrate responsibility, especially on social media, regarding reviewing, commenting, and publishing etc, on these matters.

Be Aware

that concerned branches of the Government of Pakistan are constantly monitoring any illegal, hate promoting, and blasphemous content and, under the light of the Constitution and judicial orders, take action against those involved in such crimes.

All citizens are requested to immediately report any illegal, hate promoting, and blasphemous content, particularly on social media, to those social media platforms or to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on the following link:

[email protected]

Furthermore, for legal actions against the involved persons have a complaint registered with Cyber Crime Wing, FIA on:

Call:1991

[email protected]

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)

PTA Headquarters, F5/1 Islamabad

A few remarks and observations on the above:

  • As for Ahmadis are concerned, we are fully in favour of all reasonable actions taken by the state to ensure that the Quranic text, in any form, should be authentic and untampered in every way.
  • We are also cognizant that in the past the state came up repeatedly with laws that apparently were based on fair intentions, but ended up being misused by authorities or groups or individuals with malafide intentions, aims and objectives. These include anti-terror laws, blasphemy laws, Sharia sections, Results Transmission System, Electronic Crimes Act, press laws, maintenance of law and order rules etc. Publication of the Holy Quran Act 1973 is also one such law.
  • Few people are aware of any deliberate attempts in Pakistan to corrupt the text of the Holy Quran. Most probably there are none.
  • However, “the extension, or any translation or commentary by a non-Muslim which contradicts the beliefs of Muslims” is obviously aimed at Ahmadis.
  • The expression ‘the beliefs of Muslims’ is also more speculative than real. Apart from the belief in One God and Muhammad (PBUH) being His Messenger there is hardly another ‘belief of Muslims’ that is shared by all the 72 sects in Islam.
  • As for translations, there are dozens of translations available in the market; these are all somewhat different from one another. It is in the nature of translation. There is no standard translation version acceptable to all Muslims. Nor is there any such ‘commentary’.
  • Apparently, there is not sufficient and valid reason to raise alarm and issue ‘Warning’ and threaten the population with ‘severest punishment’, ‘imprisonment for life’, ‘action against those involved in such crimes’, etc.
  • We give a straight forward advice to the competent higher authorities of PTA to calm down, not get agitated over imaginary and fictitious threats. Those who have raised this alarm have their own selfish agenda.
  • Pakistan is committed to freedom of Religion or Belief in its Constitution and international obligations like UDHR and ICCPR. PTA should remain clear of religious bigots, whatever their worldly status; they are not sincere to Pakistani state and society. Seventy-two years of national history and the present state of Pakistan are sufficient proof in support of this opinion.

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