YouTube ban may be lifted soon: Sources

Rehman Malik had earlier hinted that the video sharing site could be reopened after appropriate filters were in place.

The YouTube ban, imposed in the wake of the blasphemous movie “Innocence of Muslims”, could be lifted in the near future, Express News reported on Thursday.

According to a source, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) could lift the ban in a couple of days.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik had earlier hinted that the video sharing site could be reopened, but only after access to anti-Islamic content has been restricted.

Pakistan had blocked the video sharing site after a short clip from an amatureishly made film insulting Islam rose to world wide prominence. The 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.