Court reserves verdict over lifting PUBG ban

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has reserved the verdict on a petition against the ban on popular online game PUBG.

Justice Amir Farooq heard the petition filed by PUBG company. Lawyers for PUBG company and Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) appeared in court.

Petitioner’s counsel contended that we had attended the 9th July meeting of the PTA. The agency stated that the hearing but when we went there, there was a consultative meeting.

The court remarked that the PTA should have called a psychiatrist to seek their opinion on the effect. The judge asked the PTA’s lawyer under which provision of the law the PUBG was banned.

The PTA lawyer said that it contained some anti-Islamic material that led to the ban. The court asked where the un-Islamic material was written in the meeting minutes.

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Justice Amir Farooq remarked that after saying this, ban all the games as much as there is content. Lawyer PTA took the position that there are some immoral scenes in the PUBG game.

The court said that the games are probably even more violent. Islamabad High Court has reserved its verdict after arguments of the parties.

The PUBG game was banned by the government this month on 1st July. The decision came after many complaints about the usage of the gaming application and its effects on many players in the country. However, in a hearing that was conducted in the Lahore High Court on 9th July extended the temporary ban on the game.