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Pakistan outlaws disinformation with 3-year jail term

Pakistani policemen detain a kite flyer at a park in Islamabad on March 12, 2017, during the Basant Kite Festival. [Aamir Quresh, AFP]

Pakistan criminalised online disinformation on Tuesday, passing legislation that enshrines punishments of up to three years in prison, a decision journalists say is designed to crack down on dissent.

The law targets anyone who "intentionally disseminates" information online that they have "reason to believe to be false or fake and likely to cause or create a sense of fear, panic or disorder or unrest".

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