KARACHI:
There is growing concern over an accelerating trend of banning social media platforms, creative content, and dissenting voices within the country. The general public is frustrated over a lack of sophisticated dialogue, nuanced solutions, or even regulations that would satisfy both the audience and the authority, instead of outright bans. While legitimate concerns over misuse are undeniable, the reflexive response to ban entire platforms (Tiktok, Twitter), disallow films from being screened, or silence spokespeople only stifles the public’s democratic right to freedom of speech.
Censoring media suppresses critical voices in the political realm, which denies transparency to the public. Socially, it denies citizens access to global platforms that can be used for education and entrepreneurship. While culturally, it simply curtails artistic freedom.
Rather than opting to ban media, robust regulatory frameworks must be implemented alongside public awareness campaigns and stakeholder dialogue to address harmful content while preserving freedom of speech. A society that addresses challenging issues with wisdom instead of censorship is imperative and even more so in a modern digital world.
Raja Saqlain Ahmed
Islamabad
