ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Wikipedia was back online in Pakistan yesterday, after the country’s prime minister ordered authorities to lift a block imposed on the online encyclopedia over “blasphemous content”.
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, and Facebook and YouTube have previously been banned for publishing content deemed sacrilegious.
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted a copy of the order that stated: “The Prime Minister is pleased to direct that the website (Wikipedia) may be restored with immediate effect.”
The Wikimedia Foundation – the non-profit fund that manages Wikipedia – told AFP on Monday that it “was made aware that the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) had been directed to restore access to Wikipedia” and hoped to see online traffic in Pakistan “resume soon”.
