Islamabad:
YouTube, belonging to Alphabet, said that he was planning to block the dozens of Pakistani vloggers after a Islamabad court prohibited them from being “anti-states”, following a complaint filed by the National Agency for Investigation of Cybercrime (NCCIA).
The order of the judicial court intervened after the NCCIA criticized more than two dozen channels in a report on June 2 to “share very intimidating, provocative and derogatory content against public institutions and officials of the State of Pakistan”.
YouTube told 27 content creators that their channels could be deleted if they did not comply with the judicial orders. “If you do not do so, in accordance with our local law obligations, we can comply with the request without any other notice,” said the popular video sharing platform in e-mails to chain owners.
Digital rights activists have declared that any ban would be more about freedom of expression in Pakistan, where authorities are accused of stifling newspapers and television, and social media are considered one of the rare outlets for dissent.
In their separate declarations, the Association of the Supreme Court Bar (SCBA) and the Pakistan Human Rights Commission (HRCP) expressed a profound concern concerning the order of the court, affirming that the decision was contrary to the fundamental rights of the fair trial and freedom of expression.
The ordinance of the judicial magistrate is also contrary to journalistic values and the principles of justice, said the president of the SCBA, Mian Muhammad Rauf Atta, in a press release. “A decision cannot be made against anyone without giving them a chance to be heard. This is another example of removing the voice of opponents.”
In a separate declaration, the HRCP said that the closure of whole channels was an excessive and inappropriate measure. “If specific videos contain a hate discourse or illegal content, measures must be taken against these elements of individual content-not the whole chain,” he said.
The Commission stressed that constitutional law for freedom of expression must be protected. “This right is essential not only for individual freedom, but also to ensure the responsibility of the government and public access from various points of view,” he added.
However, the Minister of State in the Interior Talal Chaudhry said that these content creators will also face criminal charges. “You cannot use these mobile phones and social media to create chaos,” he told a local news channel. “There are laws to regulate and they will have to work under these laws,” he said.
One of the creators, Asad Toor, said that this decision was aimed at undermining the fundamental and constitutional rights of the people, political parties and other dissident groups. “I devoted my platform to these outsiders who do not have their place to go and raise their voice against the oppression of the state,” he said.
Usama Khilji’s digital rights activist said the court had not completed regular procedure. “What is shocking is the total lack of legal processes,” he said. “Nowadays, you cannot delete digital media,” said Zulfikar Bukhari from the Pakistan Tehreek-E-insaf opposition.
