19-May-2010, 03:28 PM
Pakistan court orders blocking of Facebook
Press Trust Of India
Lahore: A Pakistani court ordered authorities to temporarily block social networking website Facebook following a controversy over a competition on blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Mohammad on the site.
Justice Ijaz Choudhry of the Lahore High Court issued the order in response to a petition filed by the Islamic Lawyers Movement seeking a ban on Facebook.
The court ordered authorities to block the website till May 31. It also directed the Foreign Ministry to raise the issue of the blasphemous caricatures at the international level.
The judge directed the foreign secretary to register a protest with the concerned countries. The court also sought a response from the Pakistan telecommunication authority on the issue.
Chaudhry Zulfikar, the lawyer who filed the petition on behalf of the Islamic Lawyers Forum, said that a competition on the caricatures was announced on Facebook on April 20 and it would continue till May 20 next.
Members of the website were invited to draw caricatures of the Prophet and participate in the competition, he said.
Zulfiqar said Article 2A of the constitution bars any practice against Islam in the country.
Websites having various features against the injunctions of Islam have already been banned in several Islamic countries, he said.
The PTA has already blocked several blasphemous and contemptuous websites but is reluctant to act against Facebook, Zulfiqar contended.
Press Trust Of India
Lahore: A Pakistani court ordered authorities to temporarily block social networking website Facebook following a controversy over a competition on blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Mohammad on the site.
Justice Ijaz Choudhry of the Lahore High Court issued the order in response to a petition filed by the Islamic Lawyers Movement seeking a ban on Facebook.
The court ordered authorities to block the website till May 31. It also directed the Foreign Ministry to raise the issue of the blasphemous caricatures at the international level.
The judge directed the foreign secretary to register a protest with the concerned countries. The court also sought a response from the Pakistan telecommunication authority on the issue.
Chaudhry Zulfikar, the lawyer who filed the petition on behalf of the Islamic Lawyers Forum, said that a competition on the caricatures was announced on Facebook on April 20 and it would continue till May 20 next.
Members of the website were invited to draw caricatures of the Prophet and participate in the competition, he said.
Zulfiqar said Article 2A of the constitution bars any practice against Islam in the country.
Websites having various features against the injunctions of Islam have already been banned in several Islamic countries, he said.
The PTA has already blocked several blasphemous and contemptuous websites but is reluctant to act against Facebook, Zulfiqar contended.