Islamabad High Court lifts ban on PUBG game

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has lifted a ban on PUBG game imposed by the PTA.

The company’s lawyer had moved the IHC seeking to overturn the ban slapped by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on July 1 citing a string of complaints against the PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), which is an online multiplayer battle royale game.

Announcing its verdict reserved earlier, the court directed PTA to take a final decision about PUBG within a week.

Justice Aamer Farooq announced the verdict on Friday which was earlier reserved on July 14. The court will soon issue a detailed verdict, directing the PTA to make any future decisions on bans after listening to all stakeholders.

The court has ordered the PTA to unblock the game immediately and explain their reasoning behind banning the game.

The petition was filed jointly by PUBG players and a local game-control company.

The PTA had said on Thursday that the ban it imposed on PUBG will remain in place, asking the game developers to share data about PUBG sessions, its users in Pakistan and regulatory measures, but no response has been received yet.

People on Twitter are calling for the Information Technology Minister Aminul Haque’s resignation for “not restricting the PTA from blocking the game”. However, on Sunday, Haque said the authority doesn’t fall under his ministry.

On July 1, the PTA had announced the decision to temporarily suspend the PUBG game in the country after it received multiple complaints from different segments of the society.

The authority said it received numerous complaints against PUBG wherein it was stated that the game is addictive, wastage of time, and poses a serious negative impact on the physical and psychological health of the children.

According to recent media reports, cases of suicide attributed to PUBG game have also been reported.