Pakistan Today has reported that Lahore High Court Justice Sh Azmat Saeed yesterday ordered ministry of information and technology to block Facebook in Pakistan for spreading religious hatred on internet world.

This news is not being covered by any other media outlet so far (which is strange and hence isn’t that convincing) plus we don’t have any official confirmation from ministry of information technology or from PTA as of now.

According to Pakistan Today, during hearing a petition requesting a permanent ban on Facebook for hosting competition featuring blasphemous caricatures, Lahore High Court ordered the government to make sure that Facebook is blocked in Pakistan and to submit a compliance report by October 6, 2011.

The judge, however, made it clear that no search engine including Google would be blocked, reported the paper.

It maybe recalled that Facebook got banned in Pakistan last year for hosting Draw Mohammad Day and for not removing blasphemous pages from it’s server.

This fresh petition in Lahore High Court is filed by Muhammad & Ahmad, a public interest litigation firm, through chairman Muhammad Azhar Siddique advocate praying for a permanent ban on access to Facebook for hosting a fresh blasphemous caricature drawing contest world over under a title “2nd Annual Draw Muhammad Day on May 20, 2011″.

Facebook is a social network and users from around the world are free to post anything, however, it content is moderated based on Facebook terms which state:

You will not post content that: is hateful, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.

Facebook became controversial and was condemned for not removing Draw Mohammad Day page from it’s server despite it was reported (as abuse) by hundreds of thousands of Muslim users. While on other hands Facebook tends to remove any anti-Jews or Anti-Israel page in only few minutes.

Update:

We just got confirmation from PTA officials that they have not received any such order, at least as of now, for Facebook blockade.

This is a developing story and may get updated when and if we get any further information on this

ISLAMABAD: A student at the Riphah International University (RIU) in Rawalpindi shot and killed the vice principal of the institution on Tuesday.

Khurram Shahzad, a final year student at the university, shot dead Vice Principal Brig (R) Sanaullah in the incident which took place around 10:00 AM on university campus.

Shahzad managed to smuggle the weapon onto the premises without being noticed by security guards. He proceeded to enter different departments on campus and fired four shots in total.

Shahzad also fired shots at other teachers and security guards, however, the vice principal was shot at point blank range and died on the spot. The body has been taken away for autopsy.

The accused has been taken into custody and is being interrogated by police.

A member of the HR department of the university said that Shahzad had been enrolled since 2002, and had repeated his fourth year four times. He had earlier been expelled by the administration, but was enrolled once again after his parents pleaded with university authorities to allow him to continue his studies .

RIU authorities said that Shahzad was suffering from depression, and had attempted suicide in the past, adding that his mental state was “questionable”.

RIU is located in Rawalpindi. It was established in 2002 by the Islamic International Medical College Trust (IIIMCT) and is a non-profit, non-political, non-sectarian welfare organisation registered with the government of Pakistan.

It is chartered by the federal government.

WASHINTON: Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed on Sunday in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan and his body was recovered, President Barack Obama announced on Sunday.

“Justice has been done,” Obama said in a dramatic, late-night White House speech announcing the death of the elusive mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the New York and Washington.

Obama said U.S. forces led the operation that killed bin Laden. No Americans were killed in the operation and they took care to avoid civilian casualties, he said. “The United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda and a terrorist who is responsible for the murder of thousands of men, women and children,” Obama said. It is a major accomplishment for Obama and his national security team, after many Americans had given up hope of ever finding bin Laden.

A crowd gathered outside the White House to celebrate, chanting, “USA, USA.” Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, had repeatedly vowed to bring bin Laden to justice “dead or alive” for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly3,000 people, but never did before leaving office in early 2009.

U.S. officials said that after searching in vain for the al Qaeda leader since he disappeared in Afghanistan in late 2001, the Saudi-born extremist was killed in the Pakistani town of Abbotabad and his body recovered. Having the body may help convince any doubters that bin Laden is really dead.

He had been the subject of a search since he eluded U.S. soldiers and Afghan militia forces in a large-scale assault on the Tora Bora Mountains of Afghanistan in 2001. The trail quickly went cold after he disappeared and many intelligence officials believed he had been hiding in Pakistan.

While in hiding, bin Laden had taunted the West and advocated his militant Islamist views in videotapes spirited from his hideaway. Besides Sept. 11, Washington has also linked bin Laden to a string of attacks — including the 1998 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the 2000 bombing of the warship USS Cole in Yemen.

Meezan Bank has launched a new consumer financing product, which is Shariah-compliant and it will allow individuals and businesses to purchase laptops on easy installments.

By obtaining this facility, consumers can get laptops at an easy installment of 3 to 24 months in total. The bank will not charge any profit or return for customers who opt for the 3 month or 6 month installment plan.

The product has been launched in collaboration with M/s. New Horizon and is available for only HP laptops. M/s. New Horizon will provide two years warranty with parts along with nationwide after sales services at the customers’ doorsteps.

An MoU for this arrangement was signed between Meezan Bank and New Horizon at Meezan Bank’s Head Office. Mr. Mohammad Raza, Head of Consumer Banking of Meezan Bank and Mr. Rahim Eqbal, COO of New Horizon signed the MoU.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Raza said that Meezan Bank has an active focus on developing customer-friendly, Islamic alternatives to conventional banking products, in line with its Mission to offer a one-stop shop for innovative value-added products and services to the customers within the bounds of Shariah.

Salient features:

• 2 years warranty with parts provided by vendor.
• Free Caring Case will be provided by vendor.
• Dedicated Call Center by New Horizon for addressing after sale issues and providing after sales support to the customers at their door step
• Absolutely Free Takaful Coverage. All laptops acquired through Meezan Laptop Ease will be covered by Takaful (Islamic Insurance) before delivery to the customers
• Minimum down payment up to 15%
• Laptop model offerings will vary from time to time in consistence with the latest & upgraded features and market demand.
• Minimum age to avail this offer for both individuals and businessmen should be 20 years and maximum age should not cross over 60 and 65 years, respectively.
• Laptops are available at easy monthly installments of as low as Rs 2,750/ per month-

For more information, visit any Meezan Bank Branch or call helpline at +92-21-111-331-331

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has given PTCL a time duration of 6 months to improve quality of service to avoid strict legal action of the authority as per the law.

This penalty would be resultant of PTA’s show cause notice to PTCL on February 4th, 2010.

Background:

PTA’s February 4th, 2010th show cause notice was issued to PTCL based on the results of a nationwide quality of service survey. Results were as following:

PTA termed these results below the benchmark defined by the authority and issued a show cause notice to PTCL.

In response to which, PTCL responded multiple times to entertain PTA’s queries, but apparently authority wasn’t convinced and it passed an order against PTCL to enhance its services or to face the action.

Confusion in Determination:

In a PTA order, published on PTA’s website, two members of the authority ordered 6 months as notice period for PTCL to enhance its services, while the PTA chief contracted both the members and said that 29 days are enough for the PTCL to improve service quality.

Members PTA Ordered:

The Authority has considered the submissions of the licensee and took a lenient view for this time and decided to dispose of the show cause notice dated 4th February, 2010 in the following terms:

- Since the licensee has failed to satisfy the Authority on the aforementioned contraventions made by it regarding mandatory level and standards of Quality of Service, however, keeping in view the difficulties being faced by it and the progress made so far on this account after the issuance of show cause notice, the licensee is, therefore, directed to remedy the aforementioned contraventions by bringing and maintaining the required standards of quality of service within six (06) months of the issuance of this order.

In case of failure strict legal action will be initiated against the licensee under the provisions of the Act, the rules/regulations and the license conditions.

While on other hands Chairman PTA said:

Since, the Authority is unanimously not satisfied with the reply of the licensee and has reached to the conclusion that the licensee has failed to provide the QoS to its customers as per the standards laid down in license and the regulations on the subject, therefore, I disagree with the enforcement order passed by both the members for granting six month time for remedying the contraventions.

I am of the view that the enforcement order should be passed according to the rules and regulations.

According to rule 9(4) of Pakistan Telecommunication Rules, 2000 if the Authority is not satisfied, it can grant time to the licensee for remedying the contravention which shall be less than thirty days from the date of service of the enforcement order.

In the instant case the time period should be less than thirty days. Secondly, grant of six months period to the licensee will create discrimination in the circumstances that the Authority has already passed orders against five mobile operators on the issue of poor QoS and required them to remedy the contravention within twenty nine days.

You can download PTA’s Determination by clicking this link (PDF File – 208 KB)

via ProPakistani.PK