Pakistan: Petition for ban on Facebook disposed of

Petitioner Muhammad Azhar Siddique argued that intentions of the government could be assessed that despite a court order the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not yet submitted it progress report on steps taken to raise the issue at platforms of the UN and OIC...

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The News | Pakistan
By The News Correspondent | March 01, 2011

The Lahore High Court on Monday disposed of a writ petition seeking a ban on access to Facebook and other websites in Pakistan for displaying blasphemous contents.

The petition was disposed of on assurances by Deputy Attorney General Naveed Inayat Malik on behalf of the federation that the government and its ministries were taking all possible steps to block objectionable websites.

He said Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information and Technology are blocking all internet websites which had blasphemous material. He said that an Inter-ministerial committee was screening websites to block access to profane and anti-Islam sites on the internet in the country.


Petitioner Muhammad Azhar Siddique argued that intentions of the government could be assessed that despite a court order the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not yet submitted it progress report on steps taken to raise the issue at platforms of the UN and OIC for lodging protest against social networking website Facebook which committed blasphemy.

To this, the chief justice said that in the interest of justice the government should be given a chance to materialise the assurance which the law office was giving to the court. The court also directed the deputy attorney general that the inter-ministerial committee be directed to keep the additional registrar (judicial) abreast of its operations and steps against objectionable websites on a regular basis. The CJ observed that if PTA and the ministry concerned failed to fulfill their responsibilities, the petitioner could move the court again with a new petition.

On the petitioner’s FIR registered under Section 295-P.P.C earlier in Civil Lines Lahore police station against owners of Facebook for committing blasphemy, the court held that police should investigate the matter and dispose of it in a logical way.


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