ISLAMABAD  - The recently launched website of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been suspended whereas no local authority in Pakistan, including Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) and Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA), claims the responsibility for blocking the site.
As per law no banned outfit can run a website and it comes under the head of anti-state content that comes in the purview of IMC. General process is that such content is reported to IMC by any agency such as FIA and ISI and then IMC directs PTA to pass orders to the operators to close the site just like in the case of YouTube that was whereas closed on the orders of Supreme Court but IMC had ordered the PTA to close the site on the orders of SC.
The TTP’s site was launched on Saturday containing its flag, verses from the Holy Quran, and statements and videos containing sectarian, hate and propaganda material. Most of the material was against the security forces. It also contained the message of TTP’s deputy Sheikh Khalid Haqqani. The site had contained numerous pictures of bombed housed that it alleged were destroyed by Pakistan Army.
The sources frightfully said that neither anyone on local level was aware of its closure nor anyone has given orders to block it. It seems it has been suspended internationally as the United States itself keeps working on shutting down such sites owned by banned outfits across the world and other option left is that TTP itself suspended its site.
The sources also made special request that it was a very sensitive matter due to its attachment with TTP so they did not want their names be mentioned in any manner. However, they said that in case of TTP, the United States was also a party and they might be directly concerned about their site. But the sources said that they did not get any intimation from any side that it was suspended on someone’s direction.
About the Armed Forces’ role in suspension of TTP’s site they said, “Even in case of Armed Forces, they have to make request through IMC and no such request has been received from them and one of the reasons might be that the site is suspended just in 24 hours but it is mysterious for the concerned authorities as no one has ordered yet to close it down.”
Interestingly the government is holding peace talk with the Taliban while the militants’ website displayed hate material against the Armed Forces. No one at this stage is able to comment on anything, until and unless the government comes up with a changed policy, the sources said.