ISLAMABAD – After a brief unblocking, popular website YouTube was blocked again Saturday on the orders of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik tweeted about the reopening of YouTube but within hours of his announcement, it was blocked again.
It is the second time when the interior minister’s decision was overturned by the prime minister as the ban slapped on cellular Sims sale at private outlets was also set aside by the PM.
Internet users remained confused over the reblocking of the site inaccessible since September after appearance of blasphemous video that invited condemnation from across the country.   The PTA failed to offer any satisfactory explanation for blocking the site again.
Authorities had ordered unblocking of the website without making sure that the blasphemous content was removed. The premier however, blocked it again, leaving the question why it was unblocked.
Earlier, Director General PTA had announced that it was better to block blasphemous material than blocking the site. Rehman Malik, in one of his tweets Friday also had claimed that after having meetings with all the stakeholders, he had decided to unblock the video sharing website.
Some quarters believe that the site was opened to check the reaction of public and opinion leaders. But they also say that if the yardstick to open the site again was the removal of blasphemous video, it might not be unblocked ever. Because the YouTube admin had refused to remove the content, calling it against its policy of freedom of speech.
But the real situation might be different, an official said, as it all depends on the volume of business coming to the site from a country. He said that YouTube did not consider Pakistan a valuable client otherwise the rule would have been changed.
The PTA did not have capacity to filter the blasphemous content while keeping the site unblocked, despite the claims of the PTA DG.