Pakistan Army spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif, in a press conference on Monday, labeled those who criticize the army and its leadership with alleged fake news as ‘digital terrorists,’ stating that only the law and punishments can stop these individuals.
The key point of this statement was that the Director General of the Pakistan Army’s Public Relations Department (ISPR), Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, compared extremists and ‘digital terrorists,’ saying, ‘Both target the army.’
He said, ‘Digital terrorists are attacking the army, the army’s leadership, and the relationship between the army and the public based on fake news.’
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif also said, ‘Just as a terrorist tries to impose his will by wielding a weapon, a digital terrorist tries to impose his will by spreading unrest through mobile phones, computers, lies, fake news, and propaganda.’
This statement emerged on a day when, following a joint operation by the police and FIA in Islamabad, Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior claimed that PTI is involved in ‘anti-state propaganda’ after the arrest of PTI spokesperson Rauf Hassan.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior said that the Islamabad police and FIA team conducted this operation ‘in light of preliminary investigations and digital evidence.’
Meanwhile, responding to the Pakistan Army spokesperson’s press conference, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said, ‘When we ask why the laws are being wrongly used against us, is this also digital terrorism? Don’t we have this right? If journalists ask questions, are they also digital terrorists? This cannot be.’
It is noteworthy that the term ‘digital terrorism’ was previously used by the Pakistan Army in the statement of the Corps Commanders Conference in May this year, stating that the clear objective of digital terrorism is to spread despair among the Pakistani nation and create differences among national institutions.
This raises the question of what the definition of digital terrorism is and on what basis a person can be labeled as a ‘digital terrorist.’ Additionally, we have tried to find out whether the term ‘digital terrorism’ is used in other countries around the world.
What is Digital Terrorism?
The term ‘cyber terrorism’ is often used worldwide. Dorothy Denning, a renowned American researcher specializing in cybersecurity issues, defines ‘cyber terrorism’ as follows: “Cyber terrorism refers to attacks on computers or networks linked to them, conducted with the intent of harming a government for political or social objectives.”
An important question arises here: can online propaganda or the spread of misinformation be termed as ‘terrorism’?
Digital rights expert Hija Kamran says, “Propaganda and disinformation cannot be called digital terrorism because the concept of terrorism is entirely different. It implies that harsh actions are being taken without fair trials.”
She further states that the use of this term is essentially about increasing control over online spaces and promoting fear so that people do not exercise their fundamental rights.
According to Hija Kamran, “The prevention of propaganda and disinformation should be based on evidence-based fact-checking rather than criminalizing it by labeling it as terrorism.”
Why is the Term ‘Digital Terrorism’ Used by the Pakistani Army?
Abdul Basit, a researcher with a keen focus on security matters based in Singapore, explains that in South Asia, the term ‘terrorism’ is often used to discredit individuals or groups.
He further states that the purpose of using this term is to shape public opinion, create a narrative, or pave the way for a crackdown against a group.
According to him, in the technical language of security, any crime cannot be classified as terrorism unless there is an ideology behind it.
“When you commit a crime based on ideology, it is called terrorism.”
He suggests that considering the current political situation, it appears that the target of actions against ‘digital terrorism’ might be PTI, which has always been very active on social media.
Abdul Basit advises PTI to use appropriate language in expressing their criticism, noting that they often use very harsh language and distort historical facts.
However, he does not agree that this behavior should be labeled as digital terrorism. He does assert that if the violent protests on May 9 were driven by a political ideology, “ISPR is fully justified in calling it terrorism.”
On the other hand, digital rights expert Hija Kamran argues that labeling criticism of state institutions as ‘terrorism’ is inappropriate and it infringes on the rights granted by the constitution.
She adds, “I believe state institutions need to revisit their perspective on criticism and differentiate between criticism and propaganda.”
Do Other Countries Use the Term ‘Digital Terrorism’?
Farhan Jaffery, Deputy Director of the UK-based think tank ‘Islamic Theology of Counter-Terrorism,’ believes that digital terrorism is an extremely vague term.
He says, “In Western liberal democracies, criticism of the state or military is seen as a matter of freedom of expression.”
“However, if a government official is criticized based on their religion, sect, or nationality, it is considered hate speech. Similarly, if people are incited to attack the military, then the perpetrators can be charged with multiple offenses, including terrorism.”
According to Farhan Jaffery, it is difficult to understand why the Pakistani military is using such a vague term as digital terrorism for criticism against itself.
“It might be that they are seeking a harsh term to describe the criticism they face on social media.”
However, he acknowledges that some of the criticism of the military on social media is beyond comprehension.
“For example, some accounts on X (Twitter) mock deceased Pakistani soldiers, and some people praise the Taliban’s attacks on the military, which crosses a red line.”
He believes that Pakistan’s current laws are sufficient to curb hate speech on social media.
“I don’t think Pakistan needs new laws or vague terms like digital terrorism to address these issues.”
Reference: Rohan Ahmed,BBC Urdu.com, Islamabad
