YouTube is the only public forum in Pakistan where men cannot grope women.

On Monday, when the Islamic republic’s military and civilian leadership was away on a tense trip to defuse tensions in the middle east, someone in Islamabad reopened the video-sharing website behind their back, ending a ban spanning more than three years.

It is unclear that a rapid stock market collapse in Karachi hours after the decision was linked to fears that workplace productivity will decline sharply after the reopening of YouTube.

Here is our complete analysis of the consequences of the bold decision:

Part 1 – Free-speech dystopia: The pros and cons of YouTube’s return to Pakistan
Advantage: Liberals and civil rights activists will have one less inconsequential thing to complain about. They may now move to addressing more significant issues. There are concerns though that they may be tempted to retire to harmless online activism on YouTube.

Disadvantage: The unblocking means that now just about anybody with access to a computer and the internet will be able to watch a variety of ‘How to unblock YouTube in your country’ videos.

Advantage: Sensitive and serious religious and political problems of the Pakistani society will now be discussed and resolved gracefully in the comments section of the reopened website.

Disadvantage: Unemployment is expected to rise after proxy websites that unblock YouTube will go out of business and a number of people running those websites or employed by them will lose their key source of livelihood.
Advantage: Those Pakistanis who did not have the opportunity to embarrass themselves in public by participating in television game shows will now be able to reach millions of people across the world to share their own embarrassing moments as well of those of their friends and family.

Disadvantage: Mobile phone users will now be even more annoyed by constantly interrupted 3G services and poor data speeds, increasing a general sense of dissatisfaction among the masses.

Advantage: The citizens of Pakistan will join millions of fellow human beings living in developed nations of the world in watching a funny fat man from New Jersey lip-sync to Numa Numa.

Disadvantage: With millions of YouTube videos available to Pakistani internet users, many of us will have to endure David Bowie videos shared on Facebook.

Advantage: Free speech is a good thing for a society, as long as people are not saying anything important.
Disadvantage: There is fear that the reopening of YouTube may in turn lead offline campaigns in favour of free speech principles that only work on the internet.

Part 2 – Offense and defense: what do Pakistanis think about the reopening of YouTube?

“I am very happy that YouTube is back online. After a span of three and a half years, I can go back to watching all those videos that offend me.” –Maulana Mushkook (rickshaw driver and part-time political analyst).

- “It is a good first step. Now, they should start to unblock pornography.” –Sheikh Shoqeen (unemployed; looking for a job and friendship with girls).

- “It is the dawn of a new era for civil liberties but a dark day in the history of productivity.” –Shehla Sharemeeli (office assistant and part-time office assistant at another office).

- “I don’t know too much about the internet, but I think if people will take to the streets in protest against this decision, it will be safe to assume that it must have been a good decision.” –Nadeem Namurad (freelance palmist and retired cat psychologist).

Part 3 – Surf safely: interview with an IT Expert
This Scribe: How important is this decision?

IT Expert: It is a landmark announcement. Pakistan may not have been the first country in the world to block YouTube in 2012, but in 2016 it has become the first country in the world to unblock YouTube.

This Scribe: Why did you disagree with the ban?

IT Expert: The government has no right to block free speech whenever it wants in such an ad hoc way. Free speech and other civil rights should only be suspended under anti-terrorism laws.

This Scribe: What can people do to surf safely on YouTube?

IT Expert: It is highly recommended that Pakistani internet users, especially young men and women, continue using anonymous proxies, particularly when looking at ISIS recruitment and training videos.

The author is a User Experience Disruptor with a degree in the Poetics of Mischief.