Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has blocked YouTube, video content website owned by Google, with immediate effect. The blockage came after Google gave no response on government’s request to block the blasphemous video in Pakistan.
According to PTA Press Release:
The Honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan has ordered PTA to block the access of all anti-Islamic blasphemous videos on YouTube, including recently launched anti-Islamic film that has sparked protests across the Muslim world.
Pakistan Telecom Authority was called in by the honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan to brief about the efforts made by the telecom regulator in blocking the Anti Islamic video, available for viewing in Pakistan.
The PTA apprised the Honourable Court about the steps that the Authority has been vigorously monitoring and blocking the Anti-Islamic video placed on worldwide web. The list provided to the Honorable Supreme Court was of 753 Anti Islamic websites (which has now jumped to 934 at the time of this press release) blocked on Internet by PTA out of which over 650 URLs have been banned on YouTube. However, the surge of Anti Islamic Video is massive, causing unrest in the country. The
Honourable Court was also apprised that the PTA had sent a list of Anti Islamic Secured Links to the Facebook, which have been blocked from viewing.
PTA is thankful to the nation for informing about the viewable links of Anti Islamic websites promptly and efficiently. Through this release, it is again requested to bring in to PTA’s notice if any Anti Islamic video is available for viewing through any ISP/mobile operator in Pakistan at any time on following email;
complaint@pta.gov.pk ; PTA will take prompt action.
Express Tribune reports that PTA has blocked 753 web links on YouTube, following the orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The chief justice had directed PTA to take down all sacrilegious material that disrespects Islam or Prophet Muhammad (saw) in any way and had directed the Director-General PTA to submit a report.
The DG PTA said that almost 100 new clips of the anti-Islam film are proliferated on YouTube every day.
He said that the PTA had written a letter to YouTube, requesting the removal of such clips, but the video-sharing website replied saying that it does not have any such agreement with the government of Pakistan.
Justice Chaudhry had directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (Pemra) to set up “standards of modesty” and submit a reply in this regard within two weeks.
The authorities had also told the public that any blasphemous material that comes to their attention must be reported immediately to the PTA on 080055055 or emailed to complaint@pta.gov.pk.
Government of Afghanistan has also ordered an indefinite ban on the entire YouTube website.
Dawn reports that Wahaj us Siraj, spokesman for the Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan, told AFP that the ISPs have blocked all the URLs with the film.
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