Islamabad High Court summoned PUBG suspension records from PTA

A company controlling the game in Pakistan filed the petition citing it was not notified of the suspension of PUBG.

While a hearing is being conducted on July 9, 2020, after Lahore High Court’s directions, the PTA has appeared in Islamabad High Court on several dates in petitions filed against it by the parties against the ban.

In a recent petition hearing, Islamabad High Court has ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to present the records concerning the suspension of the PUBG game. The petition was filed by the company that controls the battle royale game in Pakistan. It subjects that the regulatory authority did not issue any notice to the company. It also said that the authority neither notified the company about the suspension of the game.

Maintaining its statement, PTA told the court that the Lahore Police sent a letter to the authority raising concerns about a couple of suicide cases being attributed to the game in subject. The authority claimed and told the court that it had sent an email to this company when the inquiry was initiated.

Considering the suicide incidents as being the basis of suspension, Justice Amir Farooq, who was hearing the petition, told PTA that it has to explain how the game led people to suicide. He also added that the court needs to see if the legal procedure was followed to suspend the game.

The judge ordered the PTA to inform by next Monday, July 13, 2020, to see if the company was given the right to a hearing as per law. The court directed the authority to resolve the company’s issue while making sure that it’s not affected by the ongoing proceedings. The court ordered the regulator to present relevant records that concern to the suspension on the next hearing on July 13, 2020.

Another petitioner had moved the Islamabad High Court last week against the ban and sought PTA’s decision to be quashed. The court dismissed the petition and asked PTA to issue a written order as per the law.

PTA had imposed a temporary ban on the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (better knows as PUBG) on July 1, 2020. The authority took the complaints into account as well as the media reports attributing more than one suicide cases to the battle royale game.

The authority noted as referred to the concerns raised by the complainants “that the game is addictive, wastage of time and poses a serious negative impact on the physical and psychological health of the children.”

Lahore High Court (LHC) has also directed the PTA to look into the issue and make a final decision after hearing the complainants. A hearing will be conducted on July 9, 2020, while the authority is listening