IHC trashes the petition against the PUBG ban, asks PTA to issue a lawful written order

Islamabad High Court  (IHC) has disposed of a petition against PUBG game’s ban in Pakistan. The court has also ordered the PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) to issue a written order according to the law to tell the reason for banning the game in the country.

A petitioner claimed to be a PUBG gamer had moved the IHC on July 4, 2020, asking the court to quash the PTA’s decision of banning the game.

Dismissing the reasoning behind the ban, the petitioner argued that Electronic Sport (or e-Sport for short) is the fastest growing industry worldwide. He told the court that the said game was a source of earning online for many. He also mentioned that he had won the PUBG tournament in Pakistan and would join the PUBG World League on July 10, 2020, representing the country.

The court, single-bench headed by Justice Aamer Farooq, asked the PTA counsel about the reasoning of the ban. The counsel, to which, said that Punjab Police had written a letter to the authority and mentioned the suicides committed by PUBG players.

The PTA counsel told the court that the authority had also received several complaints from the parents requesting the ban on the said game.

The court noted that PTA must mention the laws by which the ban has to be imposed on the game. The judge ordered the authority to issue a written order on it according to law. The authority will issue the order as per the law after hearing the petitioner, said the PTA.

The country’s regulator for telecommunications and the internet had put a temporary ban on the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (better knows as PUBG) a couple of days ago. 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 serious negative impact on 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 to the feedback and the opinions of the public sent at the email address consultation-pubg@pta.gov.pk.