ISLAMABAD (National Times)- Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Friday said that the government has decided to launch a crackdown on those who defame people by sharing “obscene and immoral content” on social media.

Following the directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, people spreading immoral content on the internet will be arrested, he said, adding that the premier has directed that such type of content should not be tolerated.

The government’s announcement came following former prime minister Imran Khan’s statement as he said that his opponents have “hired companies that are preparing for his character assassination.”

“We will not allow people to use social media to humiliate someone,” said the interior minister, adding that such incidents will be curbed wherein the material is used for blackmailing.

He said that the government will deal with those involved in a harsh manner. “We will wipe out those who spread this filth,” said Sanaullah, adding that instructions have been sent to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and relevant authorities in this regard.

‘Sharifs preparing for character assassination’
In an interview aired earlier this week, Imran Khan had claimed that the Sharifs have hired companies that are preparing for his “character assassination.”
The chairman addressed repeated warnings by PTI-backed social media accounts regarding what it termed “deep fake videos”.

Deep fake videos use a form of artificial intelligence, called deep learning, to create life-like but fake videos of people.

“Now that Eid is over, you will see they are fully prepared for my character assassination. They have hired companies that are readying the material on this count,” he said, adding that he had to face mafias, the biggest of which was the Sharif mafia.

Regarding the campaign against Jemima Goldsmith, he said: “My ex-wife was also targeted in the past and a campaign was run against her, accusing her of being part of the Jewish lobby. Likewise, a false case was filed against her, accusing her of exporting antique tiles from the country”.