ISLAMABAD – Over 20 million attempts are made every day to access immoral websites in Pakistan, it was revealed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on Wednesday.
The authority said that such immoral websites are blocked on the international gateway, but users access them through VPNs to bypass the restrictions.
The PTA officials said that websites deemed prohibited have been blocked based on information from government organizations and citizens. Measures are being taken to block blasphemous and immoral content.
They said the authority has blocked 101,083 URLs over blasphemous content, adding that over 800,000 porn websites have also been blocked.
The statement comes a day after the Ministry of Religious Affairs has requested PTA to block and restrict access to pornographic, blasphemous and other harmful content available online.
The ministry has taken up the issue in a letter, stating: “It has been learnt with serious concern that Pakistan is one of the leading countries in terms of viewing pornographic content, which is highly alarming, especially in light of negative imact on public morality and the well-being of our society. Despite the proactive measures taken by PTA to block such content” it is accessible on various platforms.
The religious ministry acknowledged the efforts made by PTA to curb such content but calls for further action to wipe it out.
It said such content violates Pakistani culture and religious values. It said widespread availability of such content undermines efforts to protect citizens, particularly young people, from exposure to harmful material.
