Lahore: Under a notification issued by the Home Department of the Government of Punjab, a ban has been imposed on the central book of Hizb al-Shaitan under Section 99-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.
The Government of Punjab has declared the said material to be blasphemous, inflammatory, offensive to the religious sentiments of Pakistani citizens, and contrary to national harmony.
According to the notification, the publication and promotion of the banned material, whether online or in printed form, is prohibited. Every copy, edition, and version of the material, wherever it may exist, is required to be seized and removed.
Following this ban, no individual, organization, NGO, digital platform, or persons associated with the Hizb al-Shaitan cases and their supporters may, in the name of support, publish, reproduce, upload, share, distribute, or otherwise make the banned material available to others. Attempts to provide the text, excerpts, images, files, download links, or copies of the banned book to others will subject the concerned person or organization to legal action.
For implementation of the notification, copies have been sent to the Inspector General of Police Punjab, Additional IG Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), all Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, CCPO Lahore, and RPOs, CPOs, and DPOs across Punjab.
The Federal Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, ISI, National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and other relevant institutions have also been informed of the decision.
We appreciate this important step taken by the Government of Punjab and demand that the relevant institutions ensure the immediate and indiscriminate implementation of the notification, remove the banned material from all websites, social media accounts, online repositories, and other platforms, and take action in accordance with the law against individuals and organizations involved in its publication or promotion.
