In a curious turn of
events, Pakistan lifted the 103-day ban on YouTube on Saturday only to impose
it again within a couple of hours as some television channels began reporting
that the blasphemous content — which had invited the proscription in the first
place — was still available on the video-sharing website.
The day began with
hopes of the ban being lifted as Interior Minister Rehman Malik tweeted in the
wee hours of Saturday that the notification ending the ban could be “expected
today.”
And, sure enough, the
ban was lifted early in the day with all Internet Service Providers being asked
to “immediately block/restore complete YouTube website provisionally till
further orders” and submit compliance through email by 3 p.m.
As word got around and
television channels broke the story, some reported that the blasphemous film
Innocence of Muslims was still available on YouTube. This saw the government swing
into action and order a fresh ban on the website. How long YouTube remained
accessible is unclear but from the various versions available, the duration was
anywhere between 33 minutes to two hours.
Pakistan banned YouTube
on September 17 amid a rising tide of protests against the film.
Persistent demand
Since then there has
been a persistent demand for lifting the ban on YouTube which in Pakistan
doubles up as a key platform for musicians to launch their new songs as space
for expression in any form is shrinking by the day.
Several musicians have
had to either move to alternate platforms or delay launch of their song in view
of the ban.
SOURCE:THE HINDU
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