PTA Updates Page Snapshot

It is 30th may today and the last update on PTA’s website about the blocked websites was on 2oth of may. They even didn’t even mentioned any other blocked websites other than the Facebook and Youtube on their website. Hundreds of URLs were blocked and some of websites like Facebook , wikipedia, youtube and many more had faced blanket ban but PTA never mentioned about these banned websites on their website.

Youtube is already unblocked few days ago but still no update about that on their website. Whats more important is Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) never published the details of blocked websites over the internet nor they have updated people about when certain websites are being banned or unbanned. It would have been much better if things would have been much more transparent.

In connection with the issue of blasphemous violent content, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked many websites and many people including me supported this decision of PTA. Banning the websites in Pakistan should have not mainly to prevent local people from accessing the blasphemous content but to make a statement to sites that your racism regarding the religion will not be accepted.

Considering the fact that Pakistan is an Islamic state and people at least have love for prophet Muhammad, no one would be willing to see that blasphemous content. But unfortunately PTA took things here differently, they gone few steps further and also blocked the proxy website.

Chairman PTA: We have blocked a number of sites having the blasphemous content and also blocked some proxy websites, so that the content can’t be accessed in Pakistan in anyway.

Blocking the original websites was more than enough to make a statement and blocking the proxy websites was unnecessary step. Ideally no one would try to access that blasphemous content via proxies, at least those who follow Islam and love Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and if some one would, well every one is responsible for his/her own faith.

In fact the guys blocking the proxy websites didn’t thought about the positive features and capabilities which proxies enable us with, they only kept eye on negativity and end up blocking most of proxy websites known to them.

At times proxy websites are very useful, some times certain ISP dns servers don’t have most updated IP records against domains or have problems with certain websites, in this case the proxy websites are the only handy tool to access them.

Finally I would say, it would have been better, if ban must have been symbolic for the world other than just to restrict the locals from looking at the content. Whatever else is done, I am in full favor of that but not in favor of blocking the proxy websites which still are blocked in Pakistan.