ISLAMABAD:
A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday partially set aside a lower court’s order for blocking some YouTube channels in view of their alleged anti-state content.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka annulled the verdict of a judicial magistrate, accepting the petitions filed by 11 content creators including some senior journalists.
During the proceedings, the judge expressed dissatisfaction with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) prosecutor. He remarked that the agency appeared to be shifting its responsibilities onto the court, warning that such practices would not be allowed. He asked under which authority the channels were blocked and cautioned against attempts to malign judges.
Islamabad Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah on July 8 ordered blocking of 27 YouTube channels — all run by Pakistani journalists and content creators — in view of their alleged anti-state content. The channels include those run by renowned journalists like Orya Maqbool Jan, Aftab Iqbal, Mutiullah Jan and Imran Khan Riaz and Asad Toor.
Eleven of the affected content creators had challenged the decision in the district and sessions court which heard their appeals collectively.
Earlier, the court clarified that petitions would only be entertained if the applicants or their lawyers appeared in the court, adding that cases without representation would be dismissed for non-pursuance.
