Acting Speaker National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi has taken serious notice of blasphemous materials on social media websites and directed Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for immediate action. He expressed anguish and concerns over blasphemous materials on Youtube and Facebook in a letter written to Chairman PTA Syed Ismail Shah.
Abbasi directed the concerned authority for blocking access to the materials, besides taking stern action against the culprits involved in the heinous crime. He further stated that such materials have hurt Muslims sentiments.
Acting Speaker directed PTA officials for taking concrete measures to stop appearance of such materials.
PTA spokesperson Khurram Mehran told Business Recorder that action has been taken and all such contents were blocked so far identified. He further said that situations are continually being monitored and action will be taken on appearance of any such materials.
PTA on January 18, 2016 reopened access to Youtube for Pakistani internet users after over three and a half years the social website remained blocked for blasphemous materials. PTA had told the Supreme Court in a report that it was now possible to remove objectionable videos from the website after Google launched a localised version of Youtube for Pakistan.
PTA had told the court that objectionable content had been removed from the localised version of the website and that there was no reason left to continue blocking the website's IP in the country.
The government had blocked YouTube in Pakistan on September 17, 2012, after receiving information about continuing access to a contentious blasphemous video created and uploaded on YouTube.