ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) restored Wikipedia services across Pakistan. As per details, PTA has unblocked service on orders of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Prime Minister earlier directed Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to “Immediately” restore online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, which was banned for not “Blocking/removing sacrilegious content” “Blocking site in its entirety was not suitable measure to restrict access to some objectionable contents/ sacrilegious matter on it. Unintended consequences of this blanket ban, therefore, outweigh its benefits,” statement added.

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority blocked Wikipedia services in country after platform failed to remove blasphemous content. In a statement, PTA said that Wikipedia was approached for removal of blasphemous content by issuing notice under applicable law and court order(s). “Platform neither complied by removing blasphemous content nor appeared before Authority,” statement read.

Published in The Daily National Courier, February, 08 2023

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