Momentary bliss: PTA denies lifting YouTube ban
The thrill and excitement over the lifting of the blanket ban on YouTube in Pakistan was short-lived on Monday as the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) hastily announced that the ban on the video- sharing website was still effectively in place.
“YouTube remains blocked. No instructions from government to open it,” said PTA Chairmain Farooq Awan, adding that the telecom authority never instructed any services and operators to allow access to the video-sharing website that was blocked over an anti-Islam film over three months ago.
“Until the video is removed, Youtube cannot be restored,” said an official of the Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT), referring to an earlier Pakistani government request to Google, who refused to remove the divisive video clip from YouTube.
He added that PTA cannot open the website without instructions from MoIT.
However, the video-sharing website could be accessed on some service providers in various parts of the country momentarily on Monday, leading certain media outlets to mistakenly report that the YouTube ban had officially been lifted.
“It was highly irresponsible (of the service providers). We have initiated an inquiry into the incident … let’s wait for the outcome,” said Awan, adding that PTA never allowed or instructed any service provider to allow access in any capacity.
Another PTA official said YouTube could only be allowed access in Pakistan on the government’s clear instructions. Earlier, an MoIT official told The Express Tribune that Google Inc had asked the government of Pakistan to sign the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) agreement before they consider any requests for removal of video clips.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2012.
COMMENTS (17)
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I think the film is just a pretext. Youtube is only blocked in Pakistan (to the best of my knowledge), and I base my assumption on the fact that I could access Youtube even in Saudi Arabia. Youtube was becoming a good tool to expose the corruption and deception of the government of Pakistan and Media. So blocking it in the name of religion may have been an easy way out.
Conspiracy Theory!! -- cant help it when you are living among deceivers.
If all muslim countries unite and totally ban this website for 2 to 3 months then there can be a possibility that youtube has some loss,so that they are compelled to remove the video.And this is surely not the case,some have blocked the whole site,some have blocked the movie and some are least bothered about this matter.I request youtube to remove it because the video may have had been within in the limits laid by the site,however, something which has trigerred widespread violence across the globe is certainly not within the limits of law of humanity.I request every muslim government to stand up and do something as meeting alone with people and discussing the issue will not do anything in front of people who give a humorous excuse that ''We have freedom of speech", rather "Persistence" and a "Decisive" action will have some good outcome. LETS EMBRACE PEACE MEN!!
I'm not even Muslim then why do I have to suffer?
They Should remove the ban from utube, YouTube And block those Videos!
Its really a great job of PTA.
hate u youtube
Why? Because we had all been barred entry to Pakistan’s most important cultural museum – YouTube.
There are many other, more articulate and better referenced arguments on why the YouTube ban is a travesty/farce/embarrassment. Most arguments also segue into the question of blasphemy, and whether one poorly made film should even be given this much attention.
As if these were the reasons for the ban.
really really great work PTA. infect hats off PTA for this good work. being Muslim we should not only hate such videos but should stand against such sites and blog who promote such things...
We Request to Lift the ban from youtube! Just Block those links anti-islamic videos! as done in every muslim country! why pakistan is always the foolest stuff in these matters? Hope youtube will be able to access openly upto 10th of december!
Whats the point of all this? we are accessing youtube from proxy servers.The only problem we are facing is that it slows down the whole system .banning something cant be totally blocked in the century we are in. Im a media student and im facing a big loss just due to this stupid ban. i need my reference videos my education and important material from youtube.no wonder why the education rate is so low .no one cares. just STOP blocking things for fun! no one has seen the movie i guess u just carry out on things heard from others.just IGNORE as ignorance is the best punishment.This will happen every year again and again .how many times will u make US suffer!!!!!! STOP and get REAL!!
Whats the point of all this? we are accessing youtube from proxy servers.The only problem we are facing is that it slows down the whole system .banning something cant be totally blocked in the century we are in. Im a media student and im facing a big loss just due to this stupid ban. i need my reference videos my education and important material from youtube.no wonder why the education rate is so low .no one cares. just STOP blocking things for fun! no one has seen the movie i guess u just carry out on things heard from others.just IGNORE as ignorance is the best punishment.This will happen every year again and again .how many times will u make US suffer!!!!!! STOP and get REAL!!
Proxy servers can be used to watch anything on Youtube or any other site. So really, what is the point of this charade.
wow great work pta.better block the whole internet and relax and let the people suffer your non serious attitude.
*They Should remove the ban from website, YouTube And block those Videos! So no one can access to those videos .. Every country in the middle east has done the same thing.....
Rehman Malik is fond of blocking mobile phones services and banning motorbike riding and pillion riding and PTA is fond of blocking social websites and one thing is similar in Rehman Malik and PTA,id est,both don't have permanent solutions for the problems and terrorism and both take temporary steps to control/overcome blasphemy,terrorism and difficulties and as a consequence of these temporary steps only nation's lives are disturbed and the real culprits enjoy free lives.....