nce again, some disputes over land in Kurram have turned into sectarian clashes. The use of social media seems to be fuelling the flare-up in the volatile tribal district.

A debate has recently been started in the local spaces on how to educate the netizens on the effective use of social media platforms and counter hate speech and disinformation during sectarian clashes.

Both sides are fighting on two fronts. One is in the bunker, controllable after peace talks between the two sides’ elders and the local administration. The other is hybrid and uncontrollable even after the ceasefire and peace deal. The spread of misinformation and hate speech during and after the clashes has become a challenge for the tribal elders.

Almost two and half years ago, the government launched the 4G services in Kurram. While the internet facility connected the community, hate mongering and spread of misinformation on social media platforms emerged as a challenge for the community, journalists and local administration.

Sayed Jamshid Sherazi is a young leader in the parliament’s programme from Kurram district. He says that, for the last few years, a spike has been observed in communal hate speech on social media. “People are openly sharing misinformation on sensitive issues without appreciating its consequences for other people,” he says.

“The hate speech on social media aggravates local disputes and can result in sectarian conflicts. Mistakes of some individuals can then pose a threat to collective security,” Sherazi says.

Sherazi says that before re-posting and sharing posts people need to verify the authenticity of the content. “The accounts of people involved in spreading hate should be blocked immediately. The administration needs to take action against the elements disturbing the peace in the valley,” he says.

Rehan Khan from Lower Kurram says social media has played a major role in the recent disputes. He says social media platforms and messaging applications fuel violence following minor incidents in the valley.

“In the past, when there was no social media, the communal violence was resolved through dialogue that led to a ceasefire. Now, even after a ceasefire agreement, both sides lack trust because some social media accounts continue to spread hate speech against the other sect,” Rehan Khan says.

Khan says that the anti-social use of online media is a challenge for the community. “There are fake IDs operated by migrants from foreign countries, with little authentic information about a dispute. These accounts are major sources of spreading misinformation. Unfortunately, some of accounts have huge following. Every village and tribe has Whatsapp groups. People are sharing ‘updates’ without fact-checking those. Most social media users don’t know how to verify and fact-check a message,” says Khan.

In the seven tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kurram is the only one where the government has issued a notification to establish a cybercrime office. Recently, several FIRs have been registered and dozens of social media accounts involved in hate speech have been reported and blocked.

Jahan Zeb Turi is an under-training lawyer practicing in Parachinar courts. He believes that the use of social media is a major challenge in the Green Valley. “Some keyboard warriors are spreading hatred against a sect from the comfort of their homes. TikTok is a big source of hate speech in the valley. Once a video is uploaded, netizens download it and share it through messaging apps,” Turi says.

Turi says only a small number of accounts are spreading hate speech during the clashes to manipulate the community. There are many more responsible social media users. During a conflict they post verified information and talk about tolerance and peace.

Malik Jahanzeb from Sadda, Lower Kurarm, says that the community needs a team to monitor social media platforms for communal hate speech and report violators.

“We need to engage with local influencers, religious leaders and community members to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence. The community needs to establish a team, to monitor social media platforms for communal hate speech and report violators. We must create and share counter-narratives to debunk communal hate speech and promote diversity,” Malik says.

He says that the community must initiate awareness campaigns to educate social media users about the dangers of communal violence and the importance of online responsibility. “The community must cooperate with district administration to identify and address offline communal tensions that may appear online.”

Malik says both sects need to continuously review and adapt strategies to deal with escalating communal violence on social media. Those involved in such activities should be identified and their social media accounts should be blocked.

The writer is a multimedia producer. He tweets @daudpasaney