The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has not only blocked the usage of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, but also of Blackberry services.
According to the Daily Times, the PTA has asked all cellular companies to put an immediate cap on all Blackberry services until further notice.
Sources said the PTA issued the directives on the orders of the Lahore High Court, which asked the government to make sure that Facebook is blocked for all Internet users in the country.
On Friday, following a ban on Facebook and popular video sharing portal YouTube, the social networking site Twitter was banned in Pakistan for carrying blasphemous content.
Hundreds of Twitter users tried in vain to log in to their accounts as a message, “This site has been restricted,” was displayed on their computer screens.
A statement issued by the PTA said that it has blocked over 450 links containing offensive content.
In Peshawar, more than 500 people participated in a protest against Facebook for holding competitions of drawing caricatures of Prophet Muhammad. They chanted slogans against the government and demanded it to end all ties with countries where these ‘blasphemous’ caricatures are being published.
This is actually a good alternative! Instead of banning LeT, JuD and their brethern, Blackberry, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube... :-)
Amusing but not unexpected from a failed state such as Pakistan. Since the values projected by these social networking and corporate communication are really more threatening to the fabric of the lemon nation than the terrorism export units it has established.
Lately of course though, these organizations see a higher ROI on domestic initiatives....... sit back and as Lenka sang "enjoy the show"
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