KP govt opposes ban on TikTok in Pakistan

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Thursday opposed a ban on the popular short-video sharing app TikTok, ARY News reported.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, KP IT Minister Zia Bangash said the decision to ban TikTok in Pakistan is not ‘right.’ Banning social media Apps in the country damages country’s impression at the International level.

“In my opinion the judgement of Peshawar High Court (PHC) to ban TikTok is wrong,” Bangash insisted. “We are planning to file a review petition in this context.”

The minister made it clear that they are not against the short-video sharing app, but against those elements who are creating disgrace through TikTok.

Earlier this month, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) had ordered the authorities concerned to impose a ban on TikTok.

A PHC bench, headed by Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan, had called for a ban to be imposed on the app from March 11.

“Videos being uploaded on TikTok are unacceptable to our society,” the chief justice had remarked while hearing a petition seeking directives for the government to block unethical and immoral content on the application.

Pakistan first blocked the app in October last year for the same reasons, after the PTA issued a notice to it and TikTok failed to comply. However, the ban continued only for 10 days, and the app came back online after assuring authorities of taking action against the content in question. Ever since the penetration of TikTok and other apps that serve similar functions among the masses, the newer form of content being generated has been a constant source of controversy.

Owing to the democratic nature of the platform, the app has been extraordinarily popular among all sections of Pakistani society, enabling even daily wage workers and those living in remote/rural areas to attain fame and become popular influencers.