Pakistan court lifts TikTok ban for third time

Islamabad, July 2 (EFE).- A Pakistani court Friday revoked its ban on the popular video-sharing app TikTok imposed for spreading alleged obscene content.

The Sindh High Court banned the Chinese social media platform on June 28 after a complaint by a petitioner.

The court had ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block the app.

The telecom regular sought the restoration of access to the app and assured the court Friday that it will decide on the petitioner’s request by Monday.

“The PTA requested the court to lift the ban and it accepted our plea,” PTA spokesperson Khurram Mehran told EFE.

Mehran didn’t elaborate on what kind of ruling the regulator is going to on TikTok that is wildly popular among Pakistani youth.

“We have not received the court orders yet. Once we receive, we will unblock the app.”

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry had earlier criticized the ban in a tweet.

The minister said he was now glad that the court revoked the prohibitory order.

“There is a war of technology going on in the world. The companies are doing propaganda against each other. Our regulatory authorities and the judges should stay away from this fight,” he tweeted.

In its June 28 order, the court ruled that the app failed to respect the law and basic injunctions of Islam and the Pakistan culture.

The court said the video-sharing app had started a social media campaign to celebrate LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Pride Month.

In its previous order, the court said that the excessive and continuous spread of “immorality and obscenity” by TikTok had aggrieved a Pakistan citizen who approached the Peshawar High Court.

The app, owned by China-based ByteDance, has been banned in Pakistan thrice since its launch in the Muslim-majority country in 2019.

The PTA first banned the app briefly in October last year and then by the Peshawar High court in March this year.

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