PTA restores access to social media websites

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Sunday restored access to social media websites in the country.

The PTA had suspended social media including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Daily Motion after launching an operation to end Faizabad sit-in in Islamabad on Saturday.

Earlier, the government on Sunday directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to restore transmission of all news channels.

The regularity authority had taken all news channels off air in the country.

Sources said that the broadcast of news channels would be restored shortly.

They said that the media regularity body would issue guidelines for the television channels.

The Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) and the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) on Saturday condemned the government’s decision to close news channels.

Sources said that the decision to restore transmission of news channels had been taken during the PM Abbasi’s meeting with Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday.