Mehwish Hayat, Zara Noor Abbas & other celebs denounce YouTube ban

Arhama Altaf

23rd Jul, 2020. 04:11 pm
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Pakistani stars including Mehwish Hayat, Zara Noor Abbas and Aijaz Aslam are not happy after rumours spread of a possible YouTube ban in Pakistan.

The news spread after the Supreme Court took notice of social media sites being used to spread offensive material and comment on judges’ personal lives.

Taking to her Twitter account, Mehwish Hayat said that freedom of speech is the basic tenet of any society.

“In Pakistan, social media provides checks and balances that the mainstream doesn’t. Progressive states shouldn’t need to resort to bans!” said Hayat.

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Really? Banning YouTube??
What next – Twitter, insta,FB, Netflix or even WhatsApp? Freedom of speech is the basic tenet of any society. In Pakistan, social media provides checks & balances that mainstream doesn’t. Progressive states shouldn’t need to resort to bans!! #YouTubeban
— Mehwish Hayat TI (@MehwishHayat) July 22, 2020

In a series of tweets, Zara Noor said that filtering content would be a great idea but banning YouTube will only create more idleness and negativity amongst professionals and the public.

#YouTubeban There is a massive industry of content creators, digital makers and entertainers in Pakistan that survive on YouTube. Filter content would be a great idea but Banning YouTube will only create more idleness and negativity amongst the professionals and the public.
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— Zara Noor Abbas Siddiqui (@ZaraNoorAbbas) July 22, 2020

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She added that there is a massive industry of content creators, digital makers, and entertainers in Pakistan.

In another tweet, she wrote that we have already lost too many jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic. “If downsizing and joblessness continue like this, the next big pandemic could be mental inactivity which will cause further crimes and induce negativity,” she said.

#YouTubeban We have already lost too many jobs due to this Pandemic. Lives.. Let's be moderate in this Ban towards YouTube. If downsizing and joblessness continues like this, the next big pandemic could be mental inactivity which will cause further crimes and induce negativity.
— Zara Noor Abbas Siddiqui (@ZaraNoorAbbas) July 22, 2020

Actor Ahmed Ali Butt took to his Instagram story and raised concerns over the possible YouTube ban. He wants to know why the PTA’s only solution is imposing a ban and not working on safety measures.

Legendary actor Aijaz Aslam also echoed his stance and said the PTA could block the accounts posting inappropriate content.

Why can’t we block the accounts posting inappropriate content .. why depriving the whole nation .. this is such a shame pic.twitter.com/Pe2bPZ4Z5e
— aijaz aslam (@aijazz7) July 22, 2020

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Host Shahista Lodhi referenced the 2012 YouTube ban and said it proved disastrous for the industry.

She said it was “partly responsible for why we don’t have local offices of Google, Facebook, Twitter etc” in the country. The Supreme Court point was about regulation, said Lodhi.

YouTube ban in 2012 proved disastrous for the industry & is partly responsible of y we dont have local offices of Google,Facebook,Twitter etc. SC point was about regulation.With rules under PECA already being discussed with tech companies, there is NO question about #YouTubeban
— Dr. Shaista Lodhi (@IamShaistaLodhi) July 22, 2020

However, the Pakistan telecommunication Authority (PTA) imposed a ban on the popular online multiplayer game PlayersUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) saying that it was a waste of time and caused a negative psychological impact on youth. It is also considering a ban on TikTok.