Lahore High Court (LHC) here Tuesday issued notice for May 19 (today) to Secretary Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in a petition seeking ban on Facebook, networking web-site, in the country for the web-site’s attempt to hold competition of drawing caricatures of Holy Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.). The petitioner Chaudhry Zulfiqar filed the petition on behalf of the Islamic Lawyers Movement.
He said that on Facebook, a competition was announced on April 20, which would run till May 20. In the competition, all of the members of the web-site were invited to draw their caricatures to participate in the competition. Chaudhry Zulfiqar said no practice, against the religion, could be allowed in the country. He pointed that the web-site, having various features against the injunctions of Islam, is already banned in various countries. China, United Arab Emirates, Iran and Saudi Arabia have imposed ban on the web-site, he maintained.
He said that in Pakistan, there are 45 million users of the said web-site and the PTA was responsible of spread of this network in Pakistan. The PTA has already blocked various web-sites in the country but why it was reluctant to ban Facebookin the country, he questioned.
The petitioner conveyed that the whole Muslim nation was highly concerned about the competition, which was carried out to hurt their religious feelings. He therefore prayed to the court to issue directions to PTA to put an immediate ban on the use of the web-site in the country.
He said that in Pakistan, there are 45 million users of the said web-site and the PTA was responsible of spread of this network in Pakistan. The PTA has already blocked various web-sites in the country but why it was reluctant to ban Facebookin the country, he questioned.
The petitioner conveyed that the whole Muslim nation was highly concerned about the competition, which was carried out to hurt their religious feelings. He therefore prayed to the court to issue directions to PTA to put an immediate ban on the use of the web-site in the country.
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