PTA to decide over banning PUBG in Pakistan, directs LHC

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to decide over banning popular online game-Player Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG)- in Pakistan, ARY NEWS reported.

According to details, a division bench of the LHC headed by Justice Atir Mahmood heard a petition demanding a ban on famous online game from a citizen, Faizan Maqsood over its negative impact on children.

The petition said that the PUBG has brought a negative impact on the personalities of children as it is a sources of increasing violent tendency among them.

The PUBG has also left a negative impact on the decision-making ability of children, the petition in the top provincial court read. The LHC was asked to order removal of online game from Play Store app.

The court after listening to the arguments directed the PTA to decide on the matter within six week.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan would not be the first country to ban online game if the PTA decides in favour of the petition filed in the LHC.

In July 2019, Jordan banned the hugely popular but brutal online game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, citing its “negative effects” on the kingdom’s citizens.

Often likened to the blockbuster book and film series “The Hunger Games”, PUBG pits marooned characters against each another in a virtual fight to the death, and has become one of the world’s most popular mobile games.

A source in Jordan’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority warned the game “had negative effects on its users, which led to its being officially blocked”.

The move follows similar bans in Iraq, Nepal, the Indian state of Gujarat and the Indonesian province of Aceh.