Pakistan Unblocks YouTube After Three Year Ban

Pakistan has unblocked the video sharing site, YouTube, more than three years after it was banned for posting a video deemed insulting to Islam.

Pakistan’s telecoms regulator said the ban was no longer necessary because Google, which owns YouTube, had now launched a Pakistan-specific version.

YouTube has denied claims that the authorities can filter content.

Many young Pakistanis have welcomed the lifting of the ban but some activists want details of the deal with Google.

They say there should be greater transparency of the terms agreed between Google and the government.
A Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) official confirmed to the BBC that all internet service providers had been directed to open access to YouTube.