ISLAMABAD: The Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has opposed courts and PTA for the ban on internet based apps in Pakistan in a tweet earlier today. However, the Supreme Court later hinted towards placing a YouTube ban in Pakistan as well.
The Federal Minister said that courts and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) must stay away from moral policing of the public and the ban approach they are adopting for internet based apps and services.
According to Fawad Chaudhry ban on internet based apps and services will destroy the tech industry in the country permanently hampering the development of technology.
He further said that Pakistan was not out of the woods because of the interference of the judges in economic matters.
However, few hours after Fawad Chaudhry spoke about the issue of the ban on internet based apps and services in Pakistan, the Supreme Court hinted towards another ban.
Justice Qazi Amin and Justice Mushir Alam talked about placing a YouTube ban in Pakistan as there was objectionable content on the video sharing platform that attacked the judicial system, the army and the Government of Pakistan.
They specifically talked about their families being made target on social media and YouTube by users who were not happy with the decisions they made.
Read more: SC talks about potential YouTube ban in Pakistan.
Earlier, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) also placed a ban on the video sharing app Bigo and issued a final warning to TikTok to monitor and regulate the content in Pakistan based on the country’s laws of face the same fate as the other app.
Read more: PTA issues final warning to ban TIKTOK and Blocks BIGO app.
Also, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on 1 July banned the popular online multiplayer game PlayersUnkown’s Battleground (PUBG) over suggestion and personal opinion of a police officer who said that the game was a waste of time and caused a negative psychological impact of youth.
The request was made as the game was blamed for two suicide cases which were enough to determine the psychological impact on the thousands of teens in the country playing PUBG maybe because the officer had studied psychology.
Read more: PTA temporarily bans PUBG in Pakistan.