If Pakistan truly believes in freedom of speech, right to information, it should lift the ban on YouTube
KARACHI: Article 19(A) of the Constitution declares freedom of speech and the right to information for all citizens. But conversely, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) bans online sources of information unnecessarily. YouTube has been banned in Pakistan since September 17, 2012, following the posting of a blasphemous video. The PTA assured that the matter would be resolved by coordinating with Google to manufacture Pakistan’s own YouTube website which would result in better management of such content. But to no one’s surprise, nothing like this has happened.
I, as a student, know the value of the educational content on YouTube. The conspicuous solution is to ban the offensive content only and not the entire source. Even the strategy to ban the entire source goes in vain since YouTube is accessible through proxy networks and YouTube’s android application, although these methods significantly affect the site’s performance. YouTube’s boycott has isolated Pakistanis. If Pakistan truly believes in the freedom of speech and right to information, this should be demonstrated through the lifting of ban on YouTube.
Saad Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
