The Punjab government wants the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate anybody who uses social media to propagate false or unauthorized data about air quality in the province, Geo News reports.
Punjab Environment Protection Department (EPD) Minister Muhammad Rizwan wrote a letter to the FIA Lahore director for this cause.
In it, he wrote that EPD is administering the Punjab Environmental Protection Act, 1997. “It is an Act to provide protection, conservation, rehabilitation and improvement of the environment, for the prevention and control of pollution and promotion of sustainable development,” he was quoted as saying in the letter by The News.
During the polluted air season, the minister believes that some “unscrupulous elements with malafide intent” were attempting to harm the country’s image by reporting a misleading and false reading of the Air Quality Index (AQI) from numerous unauthorized sources in Lahore on print and electronic media, contrary to the information provided by the Punjab EPD.
He said the FIA should take action against such culprits under cyber laws. EPD will identify such persons/companies to the FIA’s cybercrime wing, he told the publication, explaining that under the cybercrime laws, unauthorized copying or transmission of data with dishonest intentions and comes under FIA’s Cyber Crime Wing, and the person/company responsible could be imprisoned or fined.
“Fake/unauthorized data on air quality of Lahore or any city of Punjab is harming the international reputation of the government and creating fear among the citizens, which can’t be tolerated,” he said.
