February 4, 2023
1 min read

Pakistan blocks Wikipedia over ‘blasphemous’ content

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had earlier degraded Wikipedia’s services in the country.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked Wikipedia due to the website’s refusal to remove allegedly offensive or blasphemy material.

Earlier, the telecom regulator had degraded the portal’s services in the country, The News reported Saturday.

When a PTA spokesperson was contacted late Friday night and inquired about the blocking of Wikipedia, the official confirmed that “yes” it had been blocked.

On the instruction of the high court, the PTA degraded — disrupting and slowing access to the encyclopedia — website for 48 hours because there was blasphemous content on it, The News reported.

The PTA spokesperson stated that Wikipedia was approached for blocking or removal of the said content by issuing a notice under applicable law and court order(s).

An opportunity for a hearing was also provided; however, the platform neither complied by removing the blasphemous content nor appeared before the authority.

Given the intentional failure on part of the platform to comply with the directions of PTA, the services of Wikipedia were degraded for 48 hours with the direction to block/remove the reported contents, The News reported.

In case of non-compliance by Wikipedia, the platform has been blocked within Pakistan.

The restoration of Wikipedia’s services will be reconsidered if the reported unlawful content is blocked/removed.

Commenting on the development, digital rights activist Usama Khilji criticised the authorities for blocking the information portal.

“Wikipedia, World’s largest encyclopaedia, appears to be blocked in Pakistan by @PTAofficialpk.”

The Bolobhi director said that the courts and regulator must realise that Wikipedia is a crowd-sourced platform where anyone with an account can edit articles, which they can also do instead of blocking the entire website, The News reported.

ALSO READ: SPECIAL: Why Pakistan is on the brink of disaster?

Previous Story

Musk not guilty of fraud over Tesla tweet

Next Story

Pakistan to ask Taliban supremo to rein in TTP

Latest from -Top News

Pak Army Chief Targets India Again

This is not the first time that Munir has indulged in loose talk, exhibiting conduct unbecoming an officer….reports Asian Lite News Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on

Relief for Students: US Visa Cancellations Paused

More than 1,500 student visas have been cancelled so far…reports Asian Lite News The United States on Friday abruptly paused the cancellation of student visas issued to international students, according to reports.

Yunus Must Be Treated Like Hasina, Warn Islamists

Islamist group made these warnings to the interim government, terming the women’s reform body proposals as “anti-Islamic…reports Asian Lite News The radical Islamist group in Bangladesh, Hefazat-e-Islam, has issued a threat, stating

UN: Bring Pahalgam Terrorists to Justice

The members of the Security Council “stressed that those responsible for these killings should be held accountable..reports Asian Lite News The Security Council has “condemned in the strongest terms” the Pahalgam terrorist
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Pakistani social media turns against Imran govt

The Prime Minister’s recent China visit came in for severe

Pak heroin worth Rs 400 cr seized in Gujarat coast

The Gujarat ATS had also seized a heroin drug consignment