Just over a month after video sharing website YouTube was blocked for failing to block sacrilegious content in Pakistan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik hinted that the site could be reopened, but only after access to anti-Islamic content has been restricted.
Malik, who during a press briefing on Friday indicated that he was an avid twitter user, despite the public attacks and abuses he had to face on the microblogging site, tweeted from his verified account that he will raise the issue of reopening YouTube in the cabinet meetings.
“U tube [YouTube] is also wealth of knowledge but hurt the feelings of Muslims.I promise to raise in the cabinet to reopen it minus anti-Islam material.”
Pakistan had blocked YouTube after a short clip from an amatureishly made film insulting Islam rose to world wide prominence. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) acting on orders of the Supreme Court, started blocking links carrying the video. However, innumerable instances of the video being uploaded on YouTube largely nullified PTA's attempts.
The government then requested Google to block the clip from being accessed from Pakistan, but the internet giant refused to comply saying they did not have localised services in Pakistan, which would allow location based blocking.
The government then finally imposed a blanket block on YouTube on September 17, 2012, to restrict access to the video.
By imposing the blanket ban, Pakistan joined countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sudan and Iran in blocking YouTube for failing to remove anti-Islam videos.
On the other hand, Goolge had acted unilaterally to block the anti-Islam video in Egypt and Libya after public opinion against the video boiled over and diplomatic missions were stormed. In the case of the latter country, the US Ambassador was killed in an attack on the American embassy in Benghazi.
In addition to that, Google proceeded to block access to the video in Indonesia, Malaysia, and India after government's in these countries requested access be restricted. It took a court order in Brazil and a threat to shut down the site by the government in Saudi Arabia to block access to the videos in those countries.
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You can still access YouTube using this website, it will unblock YouTube for Pakistan and all other countries blocked by government. www.bestyoutubeproxy.info
for heaven's sake Google, you are people, not machines -_- you KNOW right from wrong, so change your policies and ban the videos! you don't need the localized services or whatever! all you need is to know: this is right!
I guess that Ms Malik can't stay away from watching her favourite Humsafar episodes for long
@Saad: Kindly provide some proof. Google is still the largest in its category market share.
I vote for unblocking Youtube.
I think we can breath without utube, so who cares if YT is blocked or not. Let them remove the video and then we'll start using it. By the way Google is now on number 3 down from number 1, because of the boycott in muslim countries.
I don't know what happend to all of us.. i beleive life had much fun before youtube ( or even before the enter/info-tainment that the internet provides). we have developed a habit of getting trapped in every kind of 'net" the west is throwing on us. The one who "REALLY" wants to learn just moves forward and look for other means and doesn't waste time on knocking doors of the dead.
@Ashraf: It is good cure to cut the head which causes headache to others.
yes ban may kindly be lifted.
What ban?? Every true and Prophet loving Muslim in Pakistan is using proxy sites/vpn to access you-tube. Even the Mullahs are using it. So, whom is this nation fooling with?
No nedd to unblock. Youtube must appologize snd have to remove this vedio.then we should thsnk to open this
If he was an avid Youtube user then it would have been unblocked much before.
I vote for unblocking Youtube.
That doesn't sound like a change in the situation. His conditions are the sames ones they clashed on that created the ban in the first place.
This is a good news. Those unwanted links should be blocked only.
On the other hand, Goolge had acted unilaterally to block the anti-Islam video in Egypt and Libya after public opinion against the video boiled over and diplomatic missions were stormed. In the case of the latter country, the US Ambassador was killed in an attack on the American embassy in Benghazi. In addition to that, Google proceeded to block access to the video in Indonesia, Malaysia, and India after government’s in these countries requested access be restricted. It took a court order in Brazil and a threat to shut down the site by the government in Saudi Arabia to block access to the videos in those countries.
Why can't we show some back-bone? There are countles other video-sharing sites out there, we surely can live without YT!
LOL..nobody cares minister sahab,Everyone uses proxy sites to open up Youtube..
How many people's feeling were hurt? Any statistics? Since I never saw this video or have plans to ever see it, I was not effected by it in anyway, however the protesting in Pakistan hurt me economically. Shouldn't protest be banned then?
The earlier the better. Cutting the head to cure the headache can only be witnessed in Pakistan.
"“U tube [YouTube] is also wealth of knowledge but hurt the feelings of Muslims.I promise to raise in the cabinet to reopen it minus anti-Islam material.”"
How will he identify ALL anti-Islam material? How will he have it removed? If this was so easy why did he block you tube in the first place What about material that maybe deemed as anti-Islam that maybe posted in the future?This whole ban was silly. No one is forced to see any content that offends them on you tube. You have to specifically search for the stuff you want to see - so why not assume that ll good Muslims would automatically avoid offending sites?
About time.. Sick of using unblocking sites