ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Friday blocked Wikipedia services in the country after the encyclopedia giant failed to remove blasphemous content.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed the action in wake of the website's rebuttal to remove blasphemous material; the development comes days after the telecom regulator degraded the portal's services in the country of over 220 million.
The stern action comes in wake of the sacrilegious content available on the site and the 2-day deadline ends, a PTA spokesperson told a media outlet.
Officials are willing to unblock the platform if the objectionable content is removed,the spokesperson said.
Earlier, the telecom regulator shared a tweet, saying the intentional failure on the part of the platform to comply with the directions of PTA, the services of Wikipedia have been degraded for 48 hours with the direction to block/remove the reported contents.
Several countries including China, Iran, Myanmar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela have banned Wikipedia over the time in wake of violations by the portal.
As right-wing parties and supporters hailed the move, it irked several social media users who vented out anger, questioning the incumbent government’s priorities at a time when the country is facing the worst economic crisis.
The platform is among the top visited sites in the country as many students, researchers, and professionals rely on it for sourcing information.
Pakistani rupee remains unchanges against US dollar in the open market on March 18, 2024, Monday.
In the open market, the US dollar was being quoted at 278.7 for buying and 281.65 for selling.
Euro moves down to 303 for buying and 306 for selling while British Pound hovers around 356 for buying, and 359 for selling.
UAE Dirham AED remains stable at 75.8 whereas the Saudi Riyal saw minor increase, with new rates at 74.05.
Currency | Symbol | Buying | Selling |
---|---|---|---|
US Dollar | USD | 278.7 | 281.65 |
Euro | EUR | 303 | 306 |
UK Pound Sterling | GBP | 356 | 359 |
U.A.E Dirham | AED | 75.8 | 76.55 |
Saudi Riyal | SAR | 74.05 | 74.5 |
Australian Dollar | AUD | 182.7 | 184.5 |
Bahrain Dinar | BHD | 741.89 | 749.89 |
Canadian Dollar | CAD | 204 | 206.2 |
China Yuan | CNY | 38.78 | 39.18 |
Danish Krone | DKK | 40.92 | 41.32 |
Hong Kong Dollar | HKD | 35.69 | 36.04 |
Indian Rupee | INR | 3.37 | 3.48 |
Japanese Yen | JPY | 1.86 | 1.94 |
Kuwaiti Dinar | KWD | 908.8 | 917.8 |
Malaysian Ringgit | MYR | 59.59 | 60.19 |
New Zealand Dollar | NZD | 171.07 | 173.07 |
Norwegians Krone | NOK | 26.67 | 26.97 |
Omani Riyal | OMR | 724.62 | 732.62 |
Qatari Riyal | QAR | 76.7 | 77.4 |
Singapore Dollar | SGD | 206 | 208 |
Swedish Korona | SEK | 27.27 | 27.57 |
Swiss Franc | CHF | 315.8 | 318.3 |
Thai Bhat | THB | 7.79 | 7.94 |
Copyright ©2024. Reproduction of this website's content without express written permission from 'Daily Pakistan' is strictly prohibited.