Pakistan: On Tuesday, February 7 2023, Wikipedia banned Pakistan’s objectionable content, and this move was taken after Pakistani authorities restricted internet access, a concerning pattern that “undermines the country’s nascent knowledge economy.
As per the news report, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked all access to Wikipedia over the presence of content considered insulting to Muslim sentiments. The Residents of Pakistan could not access Wikipedia for two days until Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif issued directives to restore it on February 6.
The ban on Wikipedia indicates that Islamist groups carry radical ideologies which influence Pakistani ideologies, mainly on blasphemy, irrespective of which political party holds power in Islamabad.” The allegations of blasphemy offence often lead to mob violence and attacks in Pakistan.
Many worldwide and local human rights organizations have claimed that blasphemy accusations are often used to target minority religious groups and resolve personal grudges, as per the news report.
As per reports, nearly 80 people have been killed in Pakistan, and only the blamed for blasphemy since 1990. On February 1, PTA declared it was “polluting” access to Wikipedia in Pakistan due to the presence of “sacrilegious content” and gave the website 48 hours to remove them.
They imposed the ban on February 4, and then the PTA blocked the accessibility for Pakistanis. The reason is that they failed to remove the offensive content from their website within the given time by the PTI.
According to a reports, the Wikimedia Foundation stated that it believes access to information is a fundamental human right, following the ban on Wikipedia in Pakistan on February 4th. The ban, which affects the world’s 5th most populous nation, denies access to the largest source of free knowledge and could result in the loss of access to Pakistan’s history and culture if it persists.
As per a news report, the decision by PTA (Pakistan Telecommunications Authority) to restrict access to Wikipedia has been criticised by internet users in Pakistan. The excessive authority given to PTA and its impact on freedom of speech in the country has been a cause for concern among many people in Pakistan.
