Beyond bans

In today’s digital age, it is absolutely necessary for the country to work on its digital presence. In the early 2010s, Pakistan banned a popular online video platform. This ban deprived a majority of people of generating some income through the platform. Today, the platform has millions of channels, providing entertainment to close to two billion viewers and regular income to channel owners. Many Pakistanis also earn a good amount of money through their channels. Now, the government is not sure how to deal with a video-sharing social networking app. Time after time, it announces to ban the application. Pakistan is in the middle of a deadly pandemic that has forced hundreds of thousands of people to stay at home. For many people, there is no entertainment left. A majority of them turn to these apps to relax. Also, for a large number of people, this app is a great platform to advertise their businesses or show their talent. The government should take steps to remove indecent content from the app. However, it shouldn’t impose a complete ban on it.

Rehana Rafique

Peshawar