what sites should be blacklisted. The recently
established ministerial committee will probably
contribute to the development of a comprehensive
framework for government censorship as methods
for implementing blocking directives are refined.
Civil society activists and cyber-dissidents continue to advocate for free expression and blogging rights, which are curtailed by crude blocking
methods that have imposed blanket blocks on
entire domains such as www.blogspot.com.
NOTES
1. Ammara Durrani, “Ban on ‘blasphemous’ websites:
PTA blocks blogs not carrying profane material,”
The International News, March 6, 2006,
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/mar2006-daily/
06-03-2006/national/n8.htm.
2. Pakistan 451, http://pakistan451.wordpress.com/;
and Don’t Block the Blog campaign,
http://help-pakistan.com/main/dont-block-the-blog/.
3. Reporters Without Borders, Pakistan: Annual Report
2007, February 19, 2007, http://www.rsf.org/
article.php3?id_article=20794.
4. International Telecommunication Union, World
Telecommunication Indicators 2006.
5. Internet World Stats, Asia Marketing Research,
Internet Usage, Population Statistics and
Information, http://www.internetworldstats.com/
asia.htm.
6. Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited,
http://www.ptcl.com.pk/introduction.html.
7. Zulfiqar Ali, “Cabinet approves bill to regulate cybercafes: Bill makes cyber-cafe owners liable for prosecution if any ‘unethical’ or ‘immoral’ activities are
detected within their premises,” Asia Media, May 26,
2006, http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?
parentid=46879.
8. E-mail interview with Convener of Internet Service
Provider Association of Pakistan (ISPAK).
9. Ibid.
10. Naveed Ahmad, “PTCL blocks vital Internet sites
to comply with SC order,” The News, http://www.
thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=6254.
11. Don’t Block the Blog campaign,
http://help-pakistan.com/main/dont-block-the-blog/.
12. Wikipedia, “Internet censorship in Pakistan,”
February 20, 2007, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Internet_censorship_in_Pakistan.
13. DAWN, “Deal signed to give Etisalat PTCL control,”
March 13, 2006, http://www.dawn.com/2006/
03/13/top5.htm.
14. Daily Times, “PTCL still directionless over VoIP
issues,” January 26, 2003, http://www.dailytimes.com.
pk/default.asp?page=story_26-1-2003_pg7_30.
15. DAWN, “PTCL directed to block porno, blasphemous
sites,” January 29, 2003, http://www.dawn.com/
2003/01/29/nat5.htm.
16. Imran Ayub, “PTCL to block all objectionable websites,” The News International Pakistan, December
27, 2003, http://www.apnic.net/mailing-lists/s-asia-it/
archive/2003/12/msg00028.html; World IT Report,
“Pakistan faces difficulties to block porn sites,
February 3, 2003, http://www.worlditreport.com/
News/&mod=search&searchWords=Pakistan%20PT
CL&st_id_search=93657&time=1&sub=1.
17. Reporters Without Borders, Pakistan: Annual Report
2004, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10794.
18. Ammara Durrani, “Ban on ‘blasphemous’ websites:
PTA blocks blogs not carrying profane material,”
The International News, March 6, 2006,
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/mar2006-daily/
06-03-2006/national/n8.htm.
19. Ibid.
20. Article 295-C, Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1986,
(Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, part 1, October
12, 1986), http://www.thepersecution.org/50years/
paklaw.html; Daily Times, “SC orders case against
cartoon publishers,” April 18, 2006, http://www.
dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C04%
5C18%5Cstory_18-4-2006_pg1_9; see also Akbar S.
Ahmed, “Pakistan’s blasphemy laws: Words fail me,”
The Washington Post, May 19, 2002, p. B01,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?
pagename=article&node=&contentId=
A36108-2002May17¬Found=true.
21. Article 295-B, Pakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of
1860), http://www.thepersecution.org/50years/
paklaw.html.
22. Nasir Iqbal, “Body set up to block websites,” Dawn
News, September 3, 2006, http://www.dawn.com/
2006/09/03/nat3.htm.
23. Ibid.
24. Pakistan Telecommunications Authority, Blocking
of Websites Access, April 25, 2006, http://ice.
citizenlab.org/blogimages/PTA_-_Blocking_of_
website_25-4-06.pdf.
25. Khalid Omar, “Connecting the dots,” Spider:
Pakistan’s Internet Magazine, April 2006,
http://www.spider.tm/apr2006/main.html?pgsrc=
szone&submenu=szone1&dirtarget=none.
Country Summaries
359
established ministerial committee will probably
contribute to the development of a comprehensive
framework for government censorship as methods
for implementing blocking directives are refined.
Civil society activists and cyber-dissidents continue to advocate for free expression and blogging rights, which are curtailed by crude blocking
methods that have imposed blanket blocks on
entire domains such as www.blogspot.com.
NOTES
1. Ammara Durrani, “Ban on ‘blasphemous’ websites:
PTA blocks blogs not carrying profane material,”
The International News, March 6, 2006,
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/mar2006-daily/
06-03-2006/national/n8.htm.
2. Pakistan 451, http://pakistan451.wordpress.com/;
and Don’t Block the Blog campaign,
http://help-pakistan.com/main/dont-block-the-blog/.
3. Reporters Without Borders, Pakistan: Annual Report
2007, February 19, 2007, http://www.rsf.org/
article.php3?id_article=20794.
4. International Telecommunication Union, World
Telecommunication Indicators 2006.
5. Internet World Stats, Asia Marketing Research,
Internet Usage, Population Statistics and
Information, http://www.internetworldstats.com/
asia.htm.
6. Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited,
http://www.ptcl.com.pk/introduction.html.
7. Zulfiqar Ali, “Cabinet approves bill to regulate cybercafes: Bill makes cyber-cafe owners liable for prosecution if any ‘unethical’ or ‘immoral’ activities are
detected within their premises,” Asia Media, May 26,
2006, http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?
parentid=46879.
8. E-mail interview with Convener of Internet Service
Provider Association of Pakistan (ISPAK).
9. Ibid.
10. Naveed Ahmad, “PTCL blocks vital Internet sites
to comply with SC order,” The News, http://www.
thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=6254.
11. Don’t Block the Blog campaign,
http://help-pakistan.com/main/dont-block-the-blog/.
12. Wikipedia, “Internet censorship in Pakistan,”
February 20, 2007, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Internet_censorship_in_Pakistan.
13. DAWN, “Deal signed to give Etisalat PTCL control,”
March 13, 2006, http://www.dawn.com/2006/
03/13/top5.htm.
14. Daily Times, “PTCL still directionless over VoIP
issues,” January 26, 2003, http://www.dailytimes.com.
pk/default.asp?page=story_26-1-2003_pg7_30.
15. DAWN, “PTCL directed to block porno, blasphemous
sites,” January 29, 2003, http://www.dawn.com/
2003/01/29/nat5.htm.
16. Imran Ayub, “PTCL to block all objectionable websites,” The News International Pakistan, December
27, 2003, http://www.apnic.net/mailing-lists/s-asia-it/
archive/2003/12/msg00028.html; World IT Report,
“Pakistan faces difficulties to block porn sites,
February 3, 2003, http://www.worlditreport.com/
News/&mod=search&searchWords=Pakistan%20PT
CL&st_id_search=93657&time=1&sub=1.
17. Reporters Without Borders, Pakistan: Annual Report
2004, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10794.
18. Ammara Durrani, “Ban on ‘blasphemous’ websites:
PTA blocks blogs not carrying profane material,”
The International News, March 6, 2006,
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/mar2006-daily/
06-03-2006/national/n8.htm.
19. Ibid.
20. Article 295-C, Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1986,
(Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, part 1, October
12, 1986), http://www.thepersecution.org/50years/
paklaw.html; Daily Times, “SC orders case against
cartoon publishers,” April 18, 2006, http://www.
dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C04%
5C18%5Cstory_18-4-2006_pg1_9; see also Akbar S.
Ahmed, “Pakistan’s blasphemy laws: Words fail me,”
The Washington Post, May 19, 2002, p. B01,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?
pagename=article&node=&contentId=
A36108-2002May17¬Found=true.
21. Article 295-B, Pakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of
1860), http://www.thepersecution.org/50years/
paklaw.html.
22. Nasir Iqbal, “Body set up to block websites,” Dawn
News, September 3, 2006, http://www.dawn.com/
2006/09/03/nat3.htm.
23. Ibid.
24. Pakistan Telecommunications Authority, Blocking
of Websites Access, April 25, 2006, http://ice.
citizenlab.org/blogimages/PTA_-_Blocking_of_
website_25-4-06.pdf.
25. Khalid Omar, “Connecting the dots,” Spider:
Pakistan’s Internet Magazine, April 2006,
http://www.spider.tm/apr2006/main.html?pgsrc=
szone&submenu=szone1&dirtarget=none.
Country Summaries
359