An Instagram page by the name of “Bhaisaaaab” commented under one of ProperGaanda’s posts and threatened the cultural and communication editor, but this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these far-right pages. What happened: Claiming to be the information secretary of “Pakistan Talba Mahaz” the individual behind the account has started a hate campaign against digital media companies running on the social media platform Instagram that are helping raise voice for the underrepresented communities of Pakistan. The Instagram page and another account on Twitter, ‘SharpGuess’ have incited their followers to mass report progressing pages running in the country, stating that they are spoiling the country’s morality.
Details: The guy running the Instagram page has also targeted the motives of Auraat March in his videos, using crass language. He has also claimed, “There is no such thing as consent, it’s all rubbish.” In his videos he has instigated hate using the ‘religion card,’ and asked his followers to “Never trust any feminist, and ask her to leave immediately.” He also goes on to claim that “Feminism is a cancer.” What else: A few days ago, the Instagram account of Leftistan was deactivated for the second time. While researching into what could have happened, our reporters came across this video in which a man asks his followers to block the page and report it and to do the same with any other page which is ‘derailing the nation’. What you need to know:
On the 17th of November, when ProperGaanda was reported the individual alleged that the page was spreading hate and requested his followers, “If ProperGaanda get back make sure you report it as much as you can..”
Why it matters: Freedom of speech in Pakistan is already a controversial issue, but with social media pages run by individuals looking to incite hatred and curb free thought, even more, the future looks bleak. Not only do such pages spread misinformation, making baseless allegations, but they also prevent a more progressive and positive narrative of Pakistan forming in the digital landscape.