The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) clarified on Friday that a press release circulating on social media regarding a ban on YouTube is outdated and dates back to 2012, urging the public to disregard it.
In a statement, the telecom regulator said that the press release, which has resurfaced online, is creating unnecessary confusion about the current operational status of the popular video-sharing platform.
“It has come to the attention of PTA that an old press release regarding the shutdown of YouTube in Pakistan, originally issued in September 2012 in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court, is being recirculated online,” the statement read.
India bans 16 Pakistani YouTube channels after Pahalgam attack
The original ban on YouTube was ordered by then-prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in September 2012, following widespread protests over the blasphemous film Innocence of Muslims.
PTA confirmed that the press release in question is no longer relevant.
“PTA clarifies that the content being circulated is outdated and irrelevant to the current circumstances,” the authority said.
“At present, no instructions have been issued by PTA to block or shut down YouTube or any other social media platform.”
The regulator advised the public to verify such information through official channels only, including PTA’s website and verified social media handles.
It should be noted that India has banned more than two dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading “provocative” content following an attack in Occupied Kashmir.
The banned platforms include the YouTube channels of Pakistani news outlets Dawn, Samaa TV, ARY News, Bol News, Raftar, Geo News and Suno News.
The sites were blocked in India on Monday, with a message reading it was due to an “order from the government related to national security or public order”.
Further, the social media channels of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), PSL franchises, current and former Pakistani athletes, including Shahid Afridi, Babar Azam, and Arshad Nadeem were also blocked.
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