Sunday, November 20, 2011

Deadline looms on Pakistan ‘obscene’ text message ban

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s mobile operators were Sunday scrambling to block text messages containing any of over 1,600 “obscene” terms banned by the the country’s telecoms authority ahead of a Monday deadline.
The list, including words from “quickie” to “fairy” to “Jesus Christ” and obtained by AFP, was distributed on November 14 with operators given seven days to comply, but has met with widespread derision and a threat of legal action.
“There are more than 1,600 words in the list including indecent language, expletives, swear words, slang etc, which have to be filtered,” an official at a telecoms firm told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Other words and phrases on the list of 1,695 terms, issued in English and Urdu, include “monkey crotch”, “athlete’s foot”, “idiot” and “damn”, as well as “deeper”, “four twenty”, “go to hell”, “harder”, “looser” and “no sex”.
The letter accompanying the list says networks must also submit monthly reports on implementation of the ban. It is the first time the country has sought to censor text messages.
Campaign group Bytes for All said Sunday it would challenge the ban in court, saying it violated rights to free speech and privacy.
“We are now witnessing a new ruthless wave of moral policing in the digital communication sphere of Pakistan imposed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority,” country coordinator Shahzad Ahmed told AFP.
“By developing extremely detailed lists of allegedly ‘offensive’ words and forcing telecom operators to filter them out to make our society moral and clean, PTA has not only made a mockery of itself but also of the entire country and its government,” he added.
The move in the Muslim-majority country sparked derision from local Twitter users using the hashtag #PTAbannedlist.
“Maybe all Pakistanis should keep sending expletive-filled text msgs every 10 minutes and wait for the networks to collapse,” tweeted user Shoaib Taimur.
Another Twitter user, Fariha Akhtar, posted: “Damage to #ebanking?” after the word “deposit” was discovered on the banned list.
“The #PTABannedList is also an excellent opportunity for our street language and slang to evolve and grow by coming up with newer abuses,” tweeted blogger Shahid Saeed.
“Seriously, why aren’t we protesting this ban? Jokes apart, they’ve banned words that have no vulgar implications whatsoever,” tweeted Sara Muzzamil.

Bangladesh asks Pakistan to apologize for war

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee (C) is escorted by security personnel as he emerges from the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka on November 20, 2011. A special court on November 20 opened trial for Bangladesh's first war crime suspect charged with atrocities such as genocide during the country's 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

DHAKA: A senior Bangladeshi official on Sunday urged Pakistan to formally apologize for alleged atrocities and acts of genocide committed by the Pakistani military during the independence war in 1971.
Foreign Affairs Minister Dipu Moni made the demand in a meeting with Pakistan’s new envoy to Bangladesh, a statement released by the ministry said.
Aided by India, Bangladesh, then the eastern wing of Pakistan, won its independence in 1971 after a nine-month war.
Bangladesh says Pakistani soldiers, aided by local collaborators, killed an estimated 3 million people, raped about 200,000 women and forced millions to flee their homes. Pakistan has disputed the allegations.
According to the statement, Moni ”sought Pakistan’s understanding and recognition of Bangladesh’s position on resolving the outstanding issues including an expression of formal apology from Pakistan for the genocide and atrocities committed by the Pakistani military in 1971.”
It said Moni also wanted to settle the issues of division of assets and war reparations.
Moni said that resolving these long-standing issues was important to maintaining good relations with Pakistan.
”Early resolution of the outstanding issues would enable the existing friendly relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan to make a great leap forward and create a wider space for cooperation,” the statement quoted Moni as saying.
The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has initiated a move to try Bangladeshi collaborators who allegedly helped the Pakistani military. A special tribunal has been formed to conduct the trials.
Five top leaders of Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, are currently behind bars, pending trial for their alleged role as collaborators.
Two other men from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which is led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, are in jail on similar charges. All of them have denied the allegations.
Jamaat-e-Islami openly campaigned against breaking away from Pakistan during the 1971 war. The international community has called on the government to ensure that the tribunal is free and impartial.
New York-based Human Rights Watch has praised the government for establishing the tribunal, but called for changes, including allowing the accused to question its impartiality, which current law prohibits.

Present govt the most corrupt in Pakistan’s history: Nawaz

FAISALABAD: The Chief of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Mian Nawaz Sharif said that the present government is the most corrupt in the history of Pakistan and that the ministers are only making money.
He was speaking to a large gathering at Faisalabad. Nawaz Sharif also said that he was saddened to see the country’s situation.
“We are among the last in South Asia,” he added.
Nawaz Sharif stressed on President Zardari to launch an inquiry into the alleged memo to Mike Mullen.
He said that if Zardari will not start any inquiry he will go to the Supreme Court on the behalf of all four provinces over the issue.
He also criticised Prime Minister Gilani for praising the US government after the operation against Osama Bin Laden.
Nawaz Sharif said that Kashmir is an issue of Pakistan’s sovereignty and security. Criticising the agencies he said that they should stop their interference in the political affairs of Pakistan.
Thousands of peoples welcomed Mian Nawaz Sharif, the head of the N League. Earlier, Chaudhary Nisar Ali, Javed Hashmi, Sanaullah Zahri, Saad Rafiq, Pir Sabir Shah and other leaders addressed the gathering.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali said that ISI is a national organization and that the army is defamed when it personally held on to power.
Talking about the assets of Nawaz Sharif, he said that Imran Khan should contact the Supreme Court on the issue of assets.