Ahmed Mukhtar Naqshbandi
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the restoration of Wikipedia with immediate effect and further constituted a cabinet committee to review the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) action of blocking the website.
A letter issued by the PM’s principal secretary stated that the matter of blocking the viewership of Wikipedia by the PTA in Pakistan on Feb 3 was placed before the prime minister on Monday.
PM Sharif then constituted a ministerial committee for a preliminary examination of the matter. The committee comprised the law, economic affairs, and information ministers.
The committee, the letter said, held a meeting and observed that Wikipedia was a useful site that supported the dissemination of knowledge and information for the general public, students, and academia.
Blocking the site was not a suitable measure to restrict access to some objectionable/sacrilegious content on it. Therefore, it observed that the unintended consequences of this blanket ban outweighed its benefits.
Wikipedia restoration on committee’s recommendations
Based on the committee’s recommendations, the prime minister directed that Wikipedia should be restored immediately.
Further, in exercising his powers under para 17(2) of Rules of Business 1973, the PM constituted a cabinet committee chaired by the minister for IT and telecom and comprising the ministers for law, information, commerce, and communications.
Scope of Committee
Its terms of reference include:
- A review of the suitability of the PTA action of blocking Wikipedia to restrict access to certain sacrilegious and objectionable content.
- Exploration and recommendation of alternative technical measures for removal or blocking access to objectionable content on Wikipedia and other online information sites, in view of social, cultural, and religious sensitivities, on the touchstone of proportionality.
- Giving any other recommendations with the objective of controlling unlawful online content in a balanced manner.
The letter stated that the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom would provide secretarial support to the committee that will present its report with recommendations for consideration by the federal cabinet within a week.
The committee could co-opt any expert members or seek an opinion from expert individuals/organizations to reach its findings.
