Islamabad court overturns order to block 27 YouTube channels
JournalismPakistan.com | Published 3 months ago | JP Staff Report
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ISLAMABAD — The Islamabad Sessions Court has declared Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah’s June 24 order to block 27 YouTube channels unlawful, setting the ruling aside.
The appeals had been filed by senior journalists, including Matiullah Jan, Asad Toor, and nine other YouTuber-journalists, who challenged the earlier directive. The Sessions Court accepted their appeals and nullified the magistrate’s decision.
Journalist Saqib Bashir described the ruling as “a setback for the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency” in the case concerning the blocking of the channels.
Earlier, Magistrate Abbas Shah had directed YouTube to block 27 Pakistani channels after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) initiated an inquiry on June 2. The investigating officer petitioned the court, which ruled that the FIA’s evidence was sufficient to justify blocking the channels, including those operated by Matiullah Jan, Asad Toor, and Siddique Jan.
The Sessions Court’s decision now overturns that ruling, restoring the channels and marking a significant development in the ongoing debate over online freedom and cyber regulation in Pakistan.
