‘YouTube blockade’
THIS refers to your editorial ‘YouTube blockade’ (Jan 29). The continuous ban on YouTube serves no purpose when the whole world has an access to it. I believe that we must register our protest now. It is time to move ahead.
For how long will we be having no access to various materials on the Internet in its different forms? The best way to promote our cause is to present more and more material based on our convictions and on logical arguments on such mediums as YouTube, Facebook and other sites.
With this ban, we cannot even respond from Pakistan. We should face these new channels of information rather than hiding ourselves from them.
We should keep in mind that YouTube also has millions of video clips that are directly related to the teachings of Islamic thoughts. In fact, we have also banned those Islamic channels, depriving the people of Pakistan to benefit from them.
Moreover, there are thousands of YouTube clips that deal with Pakistan — music, history, culture, politics, economics, and many more related subjects. We have blocked all that from the eyes of those who live in Pakistan, while the world goes on as usual. We have also blocked a modern source of education for the people of Pakistan. As a professor, where should I post my lectures so that my students can access them and we have a discussion seminar on the given topic?
Civil society must demand that YouTube be immediately allowed to be seen in Pakistan and that any more ‘banning’ of means of communication will not be tolerated by a bunch of people who have no sense to administrate this country in an era of education and knowledge.
DR FAROOQ HASNAT
Lahore
Everyone I know has been using youtube since it was “blocked” by PTA by using any one of the many hundreds of proxy services available for free. PTA has failed to do anything substantial, apart from making itself and, by extension, the entire country seem like fools. It is also likely that PTA officials were the first to use proxies to bypass the blockade. This is what we’ve come to expect from our public bodies. Thanks a lot, Ministers.
Ismail bhai regards dont be so sarcastic have some respect for professor every I has authority of expression It is like banning pillion riding , ban on use of phone in the name of countering terrorism It is ridiculous n absurd.we should lift ban n empower our muslim bro to fight back in their battle field
It is Ostrich approach. Can not hide from internet. Face it with your own information
It is pathetic that a professor cannot use a search engine to find the various other tube services where he can post his auspicious lectures. It seems access to the internet amounts to access to youtube, owned by a company that has defended its right to insult the person of our Messenger (PBUH). Open up the site, since we already are owned by the USA, buy Danish goods and our liberal la de dahs love Salman Rushdie and his Verses. All for free speech. We will follow the Christians and the Jews, even if it is into a lizard hole as a hadith would have it. Next we will insult Islam ourselves with more innovations. Shoot girls dead, torture women, abuse children, taking billions of Dollars of aid from the West, especially USA, but hate them equally. It all works..chalta hai in the Land of Depraved…
I am not defending anyone insulting a religion or religious leader, but there are other ways to protest than by threatening to behead someone or banning internet access. Why this hate in your voice…why not channel this anger to improving socio-economic conditions in Pakistan so that you don’t have to rely on foreign aid to survive.
Very wisely said. Complete ban is totally illogical, nevertheless we have made our point.
You are absolutely right sir !