“Wikipedia Restored to Pakistan After Nearly a Decade of Banning”
ISLAMABAD (AP) – Pakistan lifted its ban on Wikipedia services before dawn on Tuesday after the country’s media regulator blocked the site last week for allegedly failing to remove blasphemous content and claiming it hurts Muslims’ feelings.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered the unlocking, according to a government statement late Monday. The site was blocked by Pakistan’s Telecom Authority on Friday after a deadline set by Pakistan’s Wikipedia to remove the contentious content.
The ban drew criticism and many actions from Islamabad, saying it was a blow to digital rights and deprived the public of the right to seek knowledge.
As anger grew, Pakistan’s Information Minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb, said Monday that Sharif’s five-member committee was investigating the matter and ordered Wikipedia’s services to be restored immediately.
The government has not provided any explanation or details of the content it classifies as anti-Islamic, and the Media Regulatory Authority has never explained what content allegedly offends Muslim sentiments in Pakistan.
Under Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or its figures can be sentenced to death, although the country has not yet imposed the death penalty for blasphemy.
But even allegations of the crime are often enough to provoke mob violence and even deadly attacks. International and national human rights groups say accusations of blasphemy have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal scores.
The Wikimedia Foundation welcomed the lifting of the ban. Its statement said the lifting of the ban “means the people of Pakistan can continue to benefit from and participate in the growth of a global movement” “to disseminate and share verified, reliable and free knowledge”.
In the past, Pakistan has briefly banned TikTok twice for uploading indecent content. Also in 2008, Pakistan banned YouTube over videos depicting the Prophet Muhammad, sparking angry nationwide protests as Muslims view any physical depiction of the Prophet as blasphemous.
Munir Ahmed, The Associated Press
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