PTA denies TikTok ban in Pakistan, calls viral notification fake

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Thursday dismissed a social media notification claiming TikTok had been banned in Pakistan, calling it fake and misleading.

The regulator said it had issued no such order and urged the public not to share unverified information circulating online.

Is TikTok banned in Pakistan?

No, according to the PTA, no ban notification has been issued for TikTok, and the document circulating online is false. The regulator advises people to seek authentic updatesupdates through its official website and verified social media accounts.

Pakistan has restricted the app several times since 2020, but each ban was lifted.

What did the PTA say about the fake TikTok ban notification?

In its statement, the PTA said it had issued no such notification. It asked the public not to share or act on unverified claims on social media.

It also directed people to its official website and verified social media accounts for authentic updates.

Has Pakistan banned TikTok before?

Yes, the denial comes against a backdrop of repeated restrictions on the video-sharing app, mostly over complaints about indecent and immoral content. The first ban came in October 2020 and was lifted 10 days later. TikTok had assured the regulator it would block accounts “spreading obscenity”.

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) imposed another ban in March 2021, which was lifted the following month. In June 2021, the Sindh High Court ordered the PTA to suspend access to the app for “spreading immorality and obscenity”. That suspension was lifted three days after the order was issued.

The PTA blocked the platform again in July 2021, saying TikTok had failed to remove “inappropriate content”. The regulator ended that ban in November 2021, after the company gave assurances that it would “control” the uploading and spread of “immoral and indecent content”.