Pakistan once again denied accusations that it harbors jihadists, this time shifting the blame towards Hollywood, saying America’s movie maker is “the biggest hub of pornography and terrorism,” reports Dawn.
Islamabad’s strict High Court (IHC) declared, “The biggest hub of pornography and terrorism is Hollywood and Los Angeles. Hollywood plays a central role in inciting of crimes, and then our madrassas (seminaries) are blamed.”
IHC Justice Siddiqui indicated that “a bulk of the blame for the global proliferation of pornographic content and terrorism lies with Hollywood—the metonymic moniker of American cinema,” notes Dawn.
The Pentagon has long accused Pakistan of serving as a sanctuary for terrorists who are killing and injuring American troops in neighboring Afghanistan, a charge that Islamabad denies.
Nevertheless, U.S. President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting terrorists, suspending up to $1.9 billion in aid until Islamabad takes decisive action against the groups.
In response, Islamabad has threatened to cut ties with the United States and has pledged to push the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network from their safe havens in Pakistan back into Afghanistan where they can engage in the political process.
“All video games for children are based on crimes. How planes are hijacked and how to commit murders—everything is taught comprehensively,” said the IHC judge, alluding to the questionable notion that video game violence allegedly induces promote aggression and crimes in real life.
The accusations against Hollywood came after the IHC, which holds disdain towards American movies and videos as venues to promote violence and pornography, mandated Islamabad to submit an assessment of action the country can take to stop the spread of pornography within its borders.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has reportedly censured more than 200 websites and 22,210 web pages.
Besides just targeting the dissemination of pornography in Pakistan, Dawn notes:
The Ministry of Information Technology also submitted in the court a draft of its proposed changes to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016, aimed at bringing blasphemy and pornography within the ambit of cybercrime laws.
In recent months, Pakistan has been trying to use its controversial anti-blasphemy law, which is used mainly to punish religious minority groups like Christians, to target those who allegedly insult to God, Islam or religious leaders online, particularly on social media.
Pakistan’s penal code recommends either life imprisonment or death for any convicted blasphemer.