Nisar says not in the favour of banning Skype, Viber, Whatsapp, Tango

Nisar says not in the favour of banning Skype, Viber, Whatsapp, Tango

ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar, Thursday said that no decision had been taken regarding the imposition of a ban on instant messaging and internet telephony services including Skype, Whatsapp, Viber, and Tango in Sindh.

Ch Nisar’s statement came on the heels of an announcement made by Sindh Information Minister, Sharjeel Memon, in which he said that the provincial government had decided to block the above-mentioned Internet services for three months citing security reasons.

“I am not in the favour of a ban like this and we have not taken a final decision so far. The federal government will carefully see how much weight does this proposal carry if it receives one from the Sindh government”, said he.

On the other hand, the acting chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) that he had no idea whether there was a provision in the law to impose such a ban.

He also denied being aware of any letter written to PTA by the Sindh government for the same.

Sources in the PTA said that at the moment the authority was not authorized to ban these services.

Previously , Minister Sharjeel Memon has confirmed that these apps will be requested to be banned for a period of three months.