It was not immediately clear whether the directive was issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The PTA, which regularly blocks 'offensive material' on the internet, could not be reached for comment on account of Eid holidays.
“The site you are trying to access contains content that is prohibited for viewership from within Pakistan,” is what one encounters on trying to access the website.
The development follows in the heels of Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah disposing of a petition seeking a directive for the government to block access to the website.
LHC rules against blocking India Today website
Petitioner Abdul Hameed said that the magazine had recently published a derogatory photo of Army chief General Raheel Sharif.
However, the LHC CJ observed that only the parliament was authorised to take a decision in this regard. He said elected representatives of the public should be approached on this account.
Earlier, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) decided to crackdown on illegal satellite dishes and Indian content being aired across Pakistani television channels and cable networks.
“Pemra will take strict action against all those TV channels which have been continually violating the code of conduct,” Chairman Absar Alam said while addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Islamabad.
“Only license-holder TV channels can telecast foreign content and Pakistani TV channels can air Indian content with less than six per cent of total airtime, starting October 15, 2016.” Any additional airtime for Indian or foreign content on local TV channels would result in legal action from Pemra, he added.
This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.
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