Pakistan: Pakistan has lifted the ban on Wikipedia two days after it was imposed due to alleged blasphemous content. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered the country’s telecom regulator to restore the online encyclopaedia with “immediate effect”.
“Blocking the site in its entirety was not a suitable measure to restrict access to some objectionable content,” a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office remarked.
“The unintended consequences of this blanket ban, therefore, outweigh its benefits,” the statement added.
Information Minister Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb posted on Twitter that a committee has been constituted by the government “to review the decision to ban the website as well as matters related to other online content.”
The committee will recommend alternative technical measures to deal with objectionable content on Wikipedia or other online information sites, keeping in mind the “social, cultural, and religious sensitivities” of the country, where the issue of blasphemy is a highly contentious and sensitive matter.
The Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, welcomed Pakistan’s move to restore the website.
“Lifting this ban means that the people of Pakistan can continue to benefit from and participate in its growth within a global movement that strives to spread and share knowledge that is verified, reliable, and free,” the foundation observed.
Earlier, on February 1, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) announced it was “degrading” access to Wikipedia in the country due to the presence of “sacrilegious content” and gave the website 48 hours to remove it.
Two days later, the PTA claimed there was no response from Wikipedia and blocked the website, leading to widespread condemnation across the country.
