IF you lack expertise in a certain matter, refrain from commenting upon those matters. It seems like everyone these days seems to be an expert. Thanks to social media (enjoy it while it lasts), everyone has an opinion on things they shouldn’t have an opinion on. The other day, a ‘scholar’ put out a statement that imports should be banned so that our economy flourishes. Right intention, maybe too much of a simplistic view. Maybe the man’s trying to explore new horizons. I respect the grind. But there’s other factors that have to be considered. We all wish it was that simple.
The idea is to stick to what you’re good at. Maybe then, you don’t run the risk of sounding uninformed about something. If you ban imports, how do you fill the emotional void that unguided consumerism currently fills? In other news, special courts under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) have been formed. These courts will adjudicate matters pertaining to ‘digital terrorism’. Dare I say that again.
And what’s more special is that these courts will be under a legal obligation to decide matters within three months. Read that bit again. Three months and you’re either in or out. Speedy disposal, that’s what the government is aiming at. The trials will be proceeded expeditiously and a speedy disposal will be the name of the game. Trials will be conducted on a weekly basis. And not to mention, the judges will receive specialized training in cyber forensics and data protection.
Will these judges be sharp enough to get a hold of VPN users? Time will tell. Though they didn’t say if matters will actually proceed weekly or not and what happens if the judicial officers don’t show up or the lawyers file for frivolous adjournments.
One interesting fact though; these special courts were supposed to be operational 8 years ago. There was an ‘inordinate’ delay of 8 years in the formation of these specialized courts. All that talk about speedy disposal. Where do we stand now? As I said in my previous article, at times, our politicians don’t believe half the things they say. Maybe, this once they do or they don’t. I wouldn’t want to get ahead of myself. Speaking of getting ahead of one’s self, The United Kingdom has pledged to ‘internationalize’ the plight of PTI workers considering what they’re going through here in Pakistan. Although the attempt to ban PTI is emblematic of the state’s political insecurities but the United Kingdom? Really? Cliché but they need to return the things they stole from us and put them in their museums.
Let me say this again. Social media cannot be regulated. It is like a human body, once something enters the blood stream, it keeps flowing and maybe proliferates. We can try all we want and tighten our grip over free speech (if that was ever even a thing) but in the end, social media will remain the way it has always been. A platform to express oneself freely without fear. Yes, we might arrest a few unemployed chaps hacking from their mom’s basement but all in all, social media regulations sound (a little) oppressive to me. Maybe its just me.
On the bright side. There is no bright side. It’s more of a quicksand where we’ll keep sinking deeper and deeper to the point where we will have no privacy. Our affairs will be the state’s affairs and the state’s affairs will be the state’s affairs. But there is a bright side. It reduces the chances of someone spreading online hatred. Maybe the perpetrators will amend their ways and spread hate through hand written notes. Goodluck with all the special courts. Now, you’ll need hand writing experts.
Point here is, we can’t stop delinquents. Instead, let’s elect them instead. What really needs to be banned is LinkedIn. It is where everyone is “thrilled” to spread all kinds of misleading news regarding their short-lived success. Why isn’t our government focusing on LinkedIn?
—The writer is a lawyer with a Masters degree from Northeastern University.
(nizamani.z@northeastern.edu)
