Govt orders crackdown against propaganda over Saudi prince's visit

ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday directed to launch a crackdown against those doing propaganda on social media over Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his delegation’s visit to Pakistan.

The Ministry of Interior has written to the director general of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the chief commissioner Islamabad, the inspector generals of police and chief secretaries of all provinces to take strict action against such activities.

The letter read that some outfits and their people were doing propaganda against the Saudi crown prince’s visit.

“So far, five Facebook pages, 19 Facebook accounts and 20 Twitter accounts have been found involved in spreading unfounded statements,” it said.

The Interior Ministry directed the cybercrime wing of the FIA and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to immediately block such accounts and take action against those running them.

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman will arrive in Pakistan on Feb 17, according to the Foreign Office.

In a statement, it said the Saudi Arabian crown prince will now be visiting Islamabad from Feb 17 to 18. However, the visit programme remains unchanged.

The preparations to receive the visiting dignitary to Pakistan are all set and the government has decided to accord an ‘unmatched’ welcome to him with JF-17 Thunder jets as the Saudi Arabian delegation enters Pakistan’s airspace.

Pakistan Air Force’s Sherdil Squadron, comprising the cutting-edge JF-17 Thunder aircrafts will give an airborne salute to the dignitaries and escort them to the airport.