SHC directs PTA to block blasphemous material

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block all the websites in Pakistan carrying offended, obscene and blasphemous material and submit the report.

The SHC’s direction has just come after a petition of Syed Iqbal against publication of blasphemous material on the websites was heard. The petitioner also filed interlocutory application along with printout of the photograph published at a website that maliciously insulted Islam, deliberately attempted to provoke religious feelings of faithful and also defiled the Holy Quran.

The court directed the PTA to file detailed progress report on the petition, where certain issues have been raised with regard to offensive materials on such websites. The court also directed the PTA to block other offending, obscene and blasphemous material available any of the websites in Pakistan and all such actions shall be mentioned in the progress report.