November 24, 2012
Pakistani telecoms regulators have directed cell phone companies to drop cheap offers during off-peak times as part of an effort to protect teenagers and prevent them from speaking for hours to their girlfriends or boyfriends. It is the latest attempt by Pakistan to crack down on modern forms of communication.
November 24, 2012
Pakistani telecoms regulators have directed cell phone companies to drop cheap offers during off-peak times as part of an effort to protect teenagers and prevent them from speaking for hours to their girlfriends or boyfriends. It is the latest attempt by Pakistan to crack down on modern forms of communication.
Late-night cut-price mobile phone packages are to be banned in Pakistan amid fears they are corrupting the country's youth with "vulgar" messages.
Telecoms regulators have issued a directive to mobile phone operators to drop the offers which allow users cheap calls during off-peak times as part of an effort to protect teenagers and prevent them spending hours on the phone to girlfriends or boyfriends every night.
It is the latest attempt by Pakistan to crack down on modern forms of communication amid a perception that the country's conservative, Islamic values are under threat from a digital tide of filth.
Youtube remains blocked and Facebook has been subject to several temporary bans over blasphemous content.
Farooq Awan, chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), said the latest move had been taken to stop the proliferation of adverts that went against the "moral values of the society", encouraging youngsters to make calls late at night.
"We have received a number of complaints from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Standing Committee of the Parliament, senators, [Members of the National Assembly] and subscribers regarding the promotion of vulgarity through such advertisements…" he said.
While some welcomed the directive as a way of preventing teenagers spending hours on the phone, others mocked the step suggesting the government was trying to ban the late-night booty call.
Sami Shah, a comedian, tweeted: "Sexting and Dirty talk just got a whole lot more expensive in Pakistan."
Pakistan (which in Urdu means "land of the pure") has expended great efforts to keep its population free from digital filth.
Earlier this year the PTA asked a 15-year-old computer whizz to compile a list of pornographic website after he wrote to the regulator complaining that he could still find page after page of sex sites despite an official ban.
Youtube remains blocked to prevent Pakistanis watching a trailer for the inflammatory "Innocence of Muslims" film which sparked riots in September.
Some attempts to censor everyday life have led to embarrassing climbdowns, including an effort to sanitize SMS services.
Last year, regulators compiled a list of more than 1000 apparently obscene words and phrases to be banned from text messages.
However, the plan was dropped amid widespread disbelief when it emerged the list included such words as "tampon", "headlights" and even "Jesus Christ".
Courtesy: Daily Telegraph
