Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan, on Thursday, issued notice to the federation and other parties involved in YouTube ban case. A petition was moved by the chief of Watan Party, Barrister Zafarullah Khan, which stated that YouTube is a source of knowledge and information for people and should not be banned. YouTube is a video-sharing website which has been a source of entertainment and knowledge, all over the world, since 2005 when it was founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim. YouTube was banned in Pakistan in 2010, after a blasphemous film was posted on the website which enraged Muslim world to the extreme. In 5 years of YouTube ban in Pakistan, youth had learned to use it through proxies and other means anyways. Along with a big archive of older videos, including some very rare ones, YouTube is a great source of online learning as well as it contains many channels that teach different skills to people through video tutorials. SC issued notice to federation of Pakistan, Attorney General and other parties while adjourning the hearing till undefined period. The government will probably contest the challenge – especially given PTA’s conservative stance on the matter – when it really should be seeking to cooperate. Alternatives to YouTube are present that incorporate procedure that minimise the chances of offensive material being posted; the technology exist, even if the PRA is oblivious to it. Proxy server and other applications also allow people to freely access the site, rendering the ban ineffective for all but those who lack the computing know-how. And that is the portion of the population that needs the site the most. The Pakistani government has gone to great lengths to propagate the narrative of eliminating extremism in all its forms and variations, however the YouTube ban still exists as a blot on the otherwise improving situation. The ban might have been useful to curb the outpouring of religious unrest in the country, but the longer it stays in place the more damage it is doing. Blanket banning access to knowledge because the medium can also be used for hate speech is an inelegant solution to the problem one that emphasizes that the government is willing to give into religious extremism for the sake of convenience rather than to face difficult decision.
pk.shafaqna.com
