By Matthias Samuel
The game that tops the charts of every Country, PUBG (Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds), was banned in Pakistan after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had started receiving complaints regarding the game which forced them to temporarily suspend it in the Country.
“In view of complaints received from different segments of society, PTA has decided to temporarily suspend the Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) game,” the authority tweeted.
Press Release: In view of complaints received from different segments of society, PTA has decided to temporarily suspend the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) game. pic.twitter.com/ZUea4G277k
— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) July 1, 2020
For this, the feedback was required from the public by July 10 on whether the game should remain temporarily suspended or restored for players in Pakistan.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC), while hearing the petition against the ban on PUBG Game, reserved its verdict after hearing the arguments of the parties.
The petition against PUBG was heard by Justice Amir Farooq of the Islamabad High.
The lawyer representing the PUBG Company told the Court that we attended the PTA meeting on July 9, the authority told us about the hearing but when we went there, there was a consultative meeting.
Justice Amir Farooq said that the PTA should have called a psychologist and sought his opinion on the impact of the game.
Justice Amir Farooq asked the PTA lawyer under which provision of the law you have banned the game.
According to the PTA lawyer, the game contained some anti-religious material, which led to the ban.
The Court asked the PTA to tell him about the material, which is against religion, where did you write in the meeting minutes?
The IHC said that whatever action is to be taken, you have to apply your mind on it and write it down, and then ban all the game materials.
The PTA’s lawyer replied that there were some immoral scenes in the PUBG game.
Justice Amir Farooq said that it has become a habit to put everything on the other side, and asked the lawyer that if, CPO says that ban everything will you ban everything?
“Whatever anyone says the PTA has to apply its own mid as well, you said that the game has been banned because you received complaints, did any of the complaints said that the game had material which is against religion?” , he said.
The lawyer representing the PTA said that the situation pushed them to ban the game.
However, the IHC, after hearing the arguments of the parties, reserved its decision.
