The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) recently organized a meeting with prominent religious scholars in Islamabad to address the challenges of social media and the internet while promoting safe and responsible online behavior aligned with cultural and religious values.

Prominent Islamic scholars from various schools of thought, including the Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Chairman of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, and Maulana Tariq Jameel, attended the meeting along with senior PTA officials.

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PTA Chairman Maj General (retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman highlighted the significant role religious scholars can play in guiding people toward ethical and responsible internet usage. He emphasized the potential for a more significant impact if scholars use their platforms to support PTA’s initiatives.

During the meeting, there was a strong emphasis on educating youth about responsible social media and internet usage, with a particular focus on the role of parents in educating their children. The teachings of the Holy Quran and Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) were also highlighted as guiding principles in this endeavor.

The meeting acknowledged the seriousness of online threats such as anti-state, blasphemous, and hate speech content and stressed that addressing these issues is a collective responsibility involving the state, judiciary, PTA, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and other stakeholders.

The scholars expressed their appreciation for PTA’s commitment to promoting safe and responsible internet usage and pledged their full cooperation and support. This meeting marks the beginning of a series of collaborative efforts with respected scholars to combat harmful and unlawful online content.