Pakistan bans Wikipedia for failure to remove ‘blasphemous content’

Almost everyone around the world knows about Pakistan and its sensitivity towards internet and its services. Now, in a recent turn of events, Pakistan has blocked Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia. Why? For hosting ‘blasphemous content’.  

As it turns out, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority or PTA had given a 48-hour period to Wikipedia asking them to delete certain sacrilegious content. It had also warned that failure to do so will lead to disabling access to the site across the country. They had also provided a chance of hearing. However, Wikipedia didn’t take up on their offers. As a result, Pakistan banned the platform’s services effective immediately.  

Wondering the details of the content that PTA wanted Wikipedia to be removed? Well, this is still a mystery. However, one thing is for sure, unless Wikipedia removes all the objectionable content from their site, Pakistani users will be unable to use it. For now, it will be shown “this site cannot be reached until further notice” whenever users try to access it.  

What’s interesting is that The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that runs Wikipedia revealed that it does not control the content written or maintained on Wikipedia but merely funds it. This is because it is free and crowdsourced and the information is mainly written, edited and updated by a community of volunteers spread across the globe. In fact, the largest repository of free knowledge in the world is designed in such a way that all its materials and resources are a result of many people uniting to determine what information goes onto the site and what’s left out. It is also ensured that all of their content maintains a neutral standpoint.  

As expected, PTA’s decision to prohibit Wikipedia in Pakistan has met with a lot of backlash. While several pointed out that it is another step closer to the nation’s rising media censorship, a Pakistani digital activist and columnist named Usama Khilji said it was an attack on the freedom of speech of all Pakistanis. He even suggested that since Wikipedia gives access to one and all, PTA can choose to take down the content themselves instead of blocking the website altogether. In this regard, he has also described the ban as “disproportionate, unconstitutional, and quite ridiculous” and regretted that it will negatively impact students, teachers, academics, researchers among others.  

Earlier, Pakistan had blocked YouTube from 2012 to 2016 after the video platform released a film about Prophet Mohammed leading to violent protests across the country. More recently, the country had also prohibited the popular video-sharing app TikTok for exhibiting “indecent and immoral” content. The same happened for the dating app Tinder. In December 2020, PTA had also issued notices to internet giant Google for “disseminating sacrilegious content”.