ISLAMABAD, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani parliament on Tuesday unanimously urged the government to lift a nearly two-year ban on video-sharing website YouTube.
Pakistan blocked the YouTube on Sept. 17, 2012, after it posted a controversial anti-Islam video that triggered anti-U.S. protests across the Muslim world including Pakistan.
The country had also blocked hundreds of links to the YouTube.
The National Assembly, lower house of the Pakistani parliament, passed a resolution, calling upon the government to take immediate steps to restore the YouTube as the ban is depriving the people from information and knowledge.
Speaking at the lower house session, Minister for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar suggested that a committee should be formed to decide about the YouTube.
However, Shazia Marri, a member of the opposition Pakistan People's Party who moved the resolution, protested against the suggestion and demanded immediate action from the government, saying it affected students and professional negatively.
"It is really disappointing that the government is ignoring this issue and trying to shift responsibility. YouTube is a source of knowledge for a large population of Pakistanis, particularly students and young professionals," she said.
The minister stated that the government wants to lift the ban on YouTube and said that it is not possible to remove all the content considered "objectionable" from the Internet or YouTube.
"The government will not be an obstacle in the restoration of YouTube and will support the initiative to lift the ban," the minister said.
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