Urdu newspaper wants Facebook banned in Pakistan

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A renowned Urdu newspaper on Wednesday sent a legal notice to Facebook and requested the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and finance ministry to block the social media giant in the country.

Daily Qudrat demanded legal action against the Facebook management after its official page and certain users were blocked to use the platform.

The notice demanded an apology within 10 days and to reopen all the blocked accounts and pages. It also asked Facebook to open its offices in Pakistan, arguing that neighbouring India had six Facebook offices, which it claimed were working against Pakistan.

“PTA has failed to defend the rights of Pakistani Facebook users,” read the notice, suggesting that PTA officials must “immediately take notice of the grievances and block the website until all the concerned issues are resolved.”

The newspaper pleaded the finance ministry and the FIA to restrict all financial transactions benefiting the social media site ‘until they agree to open their official offices in Pakistan’.

According to the notice, Daily Qudrat Facebook page was blocked on June 12, 2018, following accusations by an Indian company regarding its content. The notice claims, “Facebook took sides with the Indian company and blocked the page without giving any explanation.”

The newspaper demanded USD 50 million in penalty in case Facebook failed to restore its page and other blocked Pakistani accounts in next 10 days.