The government has directed authorities concerned to totally block 17 websites with blasphemous content. It has also directed to monitor seven other websites including Google, Yahoo, Gmail, Amazon, Youtube, MSN and Hotmail, and block the links on them with offensive content. The instructions were issued to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) after an inter-ministerial committee met to evaluate websites having anti-Islamic content. The committee decided to completely block 17 websites. Acting on the directives of the committee, the Information Technology Ministry directed PTA to act against the websites without any delay, officials said. The inter-ministerial committee also said that blocking of e-information needed by students and researchers should be avoided. The action taken by the government was a follow-up to an order issued recently by the Bahawalpur bench of the Lahore High Court. Acting on a petition, the court had directed authorities to take action against 24 websites for hosting blasphemous and sacrilegious contents.
