The Telecommunications Authority of Pakistan (PTA) issued a clarification on Friday, stating that a press release that circulates on social networks with respect to a YouTube prohibition is outdated and dates back to 2012. The PTA urged the public to ignore misleading information.
In a statement, the telecommunications regulator explained that the press release, which resurfaced online, was creating confusion about the current Operating State of YouTube in Pakistan. “He has called for the attention of the PTA that an former press release on the closure of YouTube in Pakistan, originally issued in September 2012 after the orders of the Supreme Court, is being recirculated,” reads the statement.
The original prohibition was applied by the then Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in response to the protests about the controversial film Innocence of Muslims. However, the PTA confirmed that the 2012 press release is no longer relevant.
“The PTA clarifies that the content that is circulated is outdated and irrelevant to current circumstances,” said authority. “At present, PTA has not issued instructions to block or close YouTube or any other social media platform.”
The PTA also advised the public to verify this information through official channels, including its website and its verified social media handles.
In related news, India recently blocked more than two dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating “provocative” content after an attack in Jammu Cashmira (Iiojk) occupied by India.
The channels of prominent Pakistani media such as Express, Dawn, Samaa TV, Ary News, Bol News and Geo News were affected, along with the accounts of the social networks of several Pakistani personalities, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and athletes such as Shahidi and Babar Azam.
The channels blocked in India showed a message by citing a “order of the government related to national security or public order.”
