Access: Early hearing sought in YouTube case

Petitioner Barrister Zafarullah Khan said the ban the videosharing website was keeping students from modern technology

LAHORE: An application for an early hearing of the case against the ban on YouTube was filed at the Supreme Court (Lahore Registry) on Thursday. Petitioner Barrister Zafarullah Khan told the court that a prolonged ban on YouTube was causing problems for Pakistani students and researchers. He said the ban the video sharing website was keeping students from modern technology. He said the ban on YouTube violated Article 19 of the Constitution. He requested the court to fix the pending petition for early hearing and declare the ban illegal. Last year on May 13, an LHC bench had advised the petitioner, Bytes for All, to approach the Supreme Court over the matter. In the meantime, the LHC had stopped proceedings on the petition. The LHC had issued these directions after the federal government said that they had banned the web site on SC orders.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2015.