Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday noted that there were some legal hurdles in prosecuting civilians in military courts, but added that the government would be able to remove the same. Replying to various questions regarding the May 9 mayhem and its consequences during an interview to a private TV channel, the defence minister passed these remarks as he praised the military for moving ahead with the accountability process and taking actions against the responsible persons. Khawaja Asif also said that blocking social media platforms was always an option and the government exercise the powers whenever required. His comments were in reference to the government stance that the PTI used social media as a tool to incite hatred and violence against the state institutions in the country.

The same argument was repeated by the defence minister who said use of social media platforms was instrumental in inciting people to resort to violence, leading to the attacks on military installations and other state assets on May 9. Khawaja Asif argued that the social media platforms were regulated in China and even in the developing world like Europe.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP