Pakistan has blocked Wikipedia’s services across South Asian nations because of the website’s ongoing publication of offensive and profane content. Just like its neighboring country, India, Pakistan, has also taken control over the digital platform operating in the present year. According to Maalahat Obaid, who works as a spokesperson for the Telecommunication Authority of Pakistan, this reaction was brought on by the fact that the content on the Wikipedia page remain accessible even after the deadline of 48 hours had passed. The telecommunication authority has completely degraded the service of Wikipedia in Pakistan.

Blasphemy and its Sensitivity

Despite this, the Pakistani authority in charge of telecommunications continues to make every effort to communicate with Wikipedia. To resolve the issue and convince them to remove the blasphemous content from their page entirely. Blasphemy will play a sensitive and critical role in such a situation as Pakistan is a Muslim country, and offending Islam is considered highly unlawful. The content may create hazards in Pakistan because it is a Muslim country.

Other Sites Block by Pakistan

Pakistan has blocked access to other well-known websites because they violate religious sentiments. From the year 2020 until the year 2021, YouTube was blocked in Pakistan because of a video film deemed to violate Islamic principles. And had been posted on the website Pakistan before YouTube for approximately three years. The same thing happened with TikTok, which the Pakistani government also blocked due to the indecent and immoral content that it contained.

Wikipedia and Other Countries

In the same way that Pakistan has blocked other websites, several other countries have also blocked access to Wikipedia. For instance, just recently, Russia sent a threat to the website demanding that it remove incorrect information about the invasion of Ukraine that Wikipedia had published. Countries such as China, Myanmar, and Turkey are also well-known for their practices of censoring Wikipedia.

Wikimedia Statement on the Situation

Wikimedia, a charity that runs Wikipedia, announces its concern over the sacrilegious issue. And states that they do not decide which content to add to the page and which not. Many people run Wikipedia and determine what content and information must be add to the site. It was equally depriving for them to be block by the fifth most populous nation in the world and millions of people not having access to the biggest library.

Criticism Faced by Pakistan

While some people praised Pakistan for the blockage of the Wikipedia service on the Blasphemy issue, others criticized Pakistan. According essay writing services, Pakistan must know the rush of people posting information on Wikipedia. According to some people, the act positively affected the lives of students, researchers, health care workers and many more people who have to use the service Wikipedia in their daily routines.