Pakistan's Facebook ban drives minister to Twitter

[sparklingway]

Pakistan's Facebook ban drives minister to Twitter​

By Chris Allbritton

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - After Pakistan banned Facebook in a bid to stop it hosting "blasphemous" pictures of Prophet Mohammad, the country's interior minister found a new way to get his online fix. He jumped on Twitter.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said his son told him that if he couldn't get on Facebook, where he has his own page which hosts pictures of dignitaries and has 691 fans, he should Tweet.

"Only a few days back I came in (as a Twitter user). I like it," Malik told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. "There are lot of questions, are you real, are you fake?"

Malik already has more than 270 followers, according to his page (including this correspondent), far less than the "countless" ones he said he had after only a few days. Many people writing to him question if indeed the account is real (it is) or complain that he should be governing instead of tweeting. Malik's tweets give no hint the digital hecklers bother him. He calls for unity in the face of violence in Karachi and comments on how nice it is to meet so many women parliamentarians from around Asia. He also freely engages with his followers, an unusual practice in Pakistan's stratified political culture.

"Thank you for your appreciation," Malik wrote to one well-wisher. "I will hunt the terrorists to their demise."

"I do not devise economic or monetary policy," he replied to another, questioning an increase in fees and taxes.

While he declined to criticise the decision to ban Facebook and other websites, he said he hoped that a solution could be worked out soon that pleased most people.

"I think we should be open-minded," he said.

Pakistan last week blocked the popular social networking site Facebook indefinitely because of an online competition to draw Islam's prophet. Any representation of the Prophet Mohammad is deemed un-Islamic and blasphemous by Muslims. YouTube and about 1,000 other sites have been blocked for the same reason.

The publications of cartoons of the prophet in Danish newspapers in 2005 sparked deadly protests in Muslim countries. About 50 people were killed during violent protests in Muslim countries in 2006 over the cartoons, five of them in Pakistan.

Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad in 2008, killing six people, saying it was in revenge for publication of the caricatures. (Editing by Michael Perry)

 

[sparklingway]

Hatespeech is not welcome as a reply.

This is his twitter page. Rehman Malik (SenRehmanMalik) on Twitter

He was asked yesterday as to why he had updated his status on Facebook despite the ban to which he had replied "Unfortunate how propaganda can spread. To show solidarity with my people in Hunza, sent msg 2 my son abroad 2 update facebook. Rehman Malik"

And he's sucking upto Obama as well.

 

[Hyde]

Hatespeech is not welcome as a reply.

This is his twitter page. Rehman Malik (SenRehmanMalik) on Twitter

He was asked yesterday as to why he had updated his status on Facebook despite the ban to which he had replied "Unfortunate how propaganda can spread. To show solidarity with my people in Hunza, sent msg 2 my son abroad 2 update facebook. Rehman Malik"

And he's sucking upto Obama as well.

This is his latest tweet on twitter

Cabinet meeting 2day. Condemned blasphemous material. Cabinet accepted my proposal to block ONLY the objectable sections of facebook&youtube

So that means ban on facebook and youtube will soon be lifted - and only those blasphemous/objectable contents will be banned

 

[Fracker]

lol@ meeting, there they said "People are getting problem in getting connect to their fellows due to ban on FB and Youtube"

This government consist upon bunch of stupids/clowns who always do dramas like this, btw gov can't lift ban over FB, as it is ordered by LHC

 

[Comet]

And he has enough time to answer each and every query?

 

[sparklingway]

And he has enough time to answer each and every query?

Of course not.

 

[Luftwaffe]

Governor Punjab is pissed off since faceblock has been blocked, he says facebook is source of rich information.
Information like what? playing flash, java, shockware games, chatting, posting 2 seconds messages, uploading downloading pics, watching videos lol what is there for rich source of information?

 

[Luftwaffe]

Govt to sit and add facebook to 18th amendment.
facebook shall be pardoned because it did not hurt PPP.

 

[Hammy007]

man this is facebook, what such a hype anyway???????????????????

facebook is just for wasting time socializing etc good for nothing serious..

 

[Shamsher]

holy **** that guy is totally a geek

 

[Prometheus]

Islamabad: Meet the latest entrant to Twitter Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who has taken to the social networking site with aplomb while tweeting on topics as diverse as his colourful ties and a court order upholding the freedom of Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed.

And having been on Twitter for little more than a week, Malik even has a suggestion for his Indian counterpart P Chidambaram.

Responding to a proposal from an Indian user that he should get Chidambaram to join the site, Malik wrote: "I agree with your suggestion. I highly recommend Twitter to my friend, colleague and counterpart, Mr Chidambaram."

Ironically, Malik took to Twitter only after he couldn't log into Facebook, where he has his own page, after Pakistani authorities banned the networking website over blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Mohammed.

Internet users initially assumed that the account in Malik's name on Twitter was a fake but the minister personally confirmed to some journalists that it was genuine.

Malik currently has near 1,100 followers, including several Indians.

As soon as it was established that Malik's account was genuine, he received several queries on Pakistan's war on terror and the government's position on persons like JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, blamed by India for masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Asked by a senior editor of an Indian daily about the Pakistan Supreme Court's decision to uphold a lower court's order freeing Saeed from house arrest, Malik tweeted: "Sir, the issue of Hafiz Saaed is sensitive and sub-judice. It was the court's decision and I respect the court's decision."

In response to questions from an Indian and a Pakistani on the Mumbai incident, Malik replied: "Sirs, I will prefer not to comment on 26/11. Both Pak & Indian governments are working closely together on this matter."

In another tweet, Malik noted that Pakistan and India have a "common history" and said, "If we resolve all outstanding issues, our friendship will bring much peace and prosperity to the region."

Malik, who is known for sporting ties in bright colours like pink and green, responded enthusiastically when two persons tweeted about his attire.

"Thank you for appreciating my tie collection," he wrote.

In other tweets, Malik touched on issues such as madrassa reforms, building the capabilities of Pakistan's police force and the war on terror.

"The solution for a terrorism-free Pakistan is education, education, education," he wrote.

And in the face of some criticism that federal ministers should pay more attention to governance instead of joining social networking websites, Malik tweeted that he felt Twitter "is one step closer to pure democracy where citizens have direct and uncensored access to their government".

There was also a prompt response to a tweet from this correspondent that a request for an interview was pending for a long time with the Interior Minister's office.

Malik tweeted that his aide should be contacted so that an interview could be set up for "next month sometime".

After a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Malik tweeted that the government had accepted his proposal to block only those parts of YouTube and Facebook that hosted blasphemous material.

Though the government has lifted the ban on YouTube, Malik later tweeted that the blocking of Facebook would continue as the Lahore High Court's order in this regard is effective till May 31Rehman Malik on Twitter wants PC to join

 

[Prometheus]

PC is not vehla.........he got lots of work to do

 

[ajtr]

one tweeting minister shashi tharoor already lost his job..,,PC is more intelligent he knows how to keep his job.