ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for IT and Telecommunications Anusha Rahman Khan warned on Saturday that Google could also be banned in Pakistan if it doesn’t remove the objectionable and blasphemous content which led to the YouTube ban in the country, Press Trust of India reported.
Further more Anusha Rahman said about the restriction on Youtube that Google might be more willing to lend the new Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government an ear. She said if Google doesn’t remove the objectionable and blasphemous content then Google search engine would be fully blocked in Pakistan, while there are other search engine available too.
Khan said referring to a YouTube ban that was levied on the video-sharing website after it hosted clips from the controversial film, “Innocence of Muslims”. It sparked violent protests across the country, leading to a nine-month ban on the website that still remains in effect.
“PTA (Pakistan Telecommunications Authority) is just an enforcement body. Our ministry is responsible for policy decisions, so it’s our job to ensure reopening of YouTube as soon as possible with thorough screening of objectionable material. I will immediately start work on it after a presentation by ministry officials on Monday.”
Government will make all its efforts to reopen YouTube and filter all the objectionable and blasphemous content.
Google will be requested to either remove the objectionable content or at least ensure that it’s not viewable in Pakistan, she added.
“We cannot face the embarrassment of opening the website and closing it again after protests. We have to ensure that proper filtration system is in place before we open the website.”
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