Tag: PUBG

  • ‘I want to live in a country where there is no banning culture’: Asim Azhar urges PM IK to unban PUBG

    ‘I want to live in a country where there is no banning culture’: Asim Azhar urges PM IK to unban PUBG

    While PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) continues to remain banned in Pakistan, Asim Azhar has voiced his protest against the ban and requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to not let his youth down. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) banned the game after parents approached it complaining that the game was addictive for their children. According to details, three children in Lahore had also recently committed suicide due to the online game.

    In a series of tweets, Asim expressed his thoughts on the matter and said that banning the game won’t make any difference until we educate the youth.

    “Only if we invest in our education system as much, that we make our children – the future of this country, into humans with stable minds, we would never have to worry about any playform or game being harmful to the society,” said Asim.

    He continued: “I want to live in a country where there is no banning culture. Where the youth has enough awareness to know what is right and wrong for them.”

    Arguing his stance further, Asim appealed to PM Imran Khan and said that “the last time we banned something (YouTube) it took us so many years back”.

    “This is not just about a game, it is about the digital future of Pakistan,” argued Asim. “Every field will be affected. I am a victim of the ridiculous ban we had to face on YouTube for five years. We are again at the same stage. Please don’t let it happen again, sir Imran Khan.”

    He also requested everyone protesting against the ban not to use any hate speech.

    Asim also extended his support to Waqar Zaka who has been actively fighting against the ban.

    Meanwhile, Waqar Zaka expressed his disappointment at PM Imran Khan for not responding to the youth’s protests. He announced that he will contest in the next election and initiate a technology movement in Pakistan.

    https://twitter.com/ZakaWaqar/status/1287798265484910594?s=20

    Read more – Fawad Chaudhry urges to unban PUBG immediately

    The hashtag #ImranKhanPUBGkolo is currently trending at number one on Pakistani Twitter.

    Other celebrities including Hania Aamir also expressed their displeasure over the ban.

    Earlier in the day, PTA announced that the ban on PUBG will remain in place as the game developer has not yet responded to the authority about its suitable framework to address key concerns.

    Three days ago, on July 24, the Islamabad High Court had ordered the government to lift the ban on PUBG, much to the delight of PUBG fans in Pakistan. However, PTA, in a statement, said: “The order has been issued in accordance with Islamabad High Court’s orders after a hearing conducted by PTA on July 9 and in accordance with the provisions of PECA 2016.”

  • People want Waqar Zaka to be PM after court orders to lift PUBG ban

    People want Waqar Zaka to be PM after court orders to lift PUBG ban

    With the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordering Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to immediately lift the ban imposed on popular online multiplayer game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Pakistanis are taking to social media to praise VJ-turned-television host Waqar Zaka’s efforts in this regard and seek his election as the country’s prime minister (PM).

    Pakistan’s ban on PUBG had been challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC) by Zaka who had taken to social media to express his outrage as well as “expose” some shady conspiracy theories behind the ban.

    According to the YouTuber, the ban on PUBG, which the authorities said had come after PTA 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 children”, was “actually to prevent Pakistani youth from excelling in e-sports”.

    “These are the same people who don’t want our children to become famous around the world, who don’t want our country to generate revenue online, who want to send out a message to the e-sports providers around the world to prevent them from setting up their business here – reason why YouTube never did. These people will not allow us to evolve, a digital revolution needs to be brought,” Zaka had said in a video message.

    With the popular television personality continuing to raise his voice against the ban and separately the IHC on Friday finally ordering PTA to lift it, here’s what people have to say as ‘#ThankYouWaqarZaka’ trends on Twitter in Pakistan.

    https://twitter.com/Qasim6tweets/status/1286562678362779648

    On June 23, Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Zulfiqar Hameed had recommended a ban on the online game.

    The CCPO had taken up the matter with the higher authorities through a letter referring to the death by suicide of a teenage boy, who was an ardent player of the game. It had led to a temporary ban on the game, which was followed by a PTA statement on Thursday, according to which the ban was to stay in place.

  • Islamabad High Court orders govt to lift ban on PUBG

    Islamabad High Court orders govt to lift ban on PUBG

    The Islamabad High Court on Friday ordered the government to lift the ban on the popular online multiplayer game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Geo reported.

    The decision to lift the ban was announced by Justice Amir Farooq while hearing a petition filed against the banning of the game. 

    The decision comes a day after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had announced that PUBG will remain blocked in Pakistan. 

    In a statement released on Twitter, the telecom watchdog and internet regulator said it reached the decision to keep the game banned after a detailed hearing conducted at the PTA premises on July 9 on the directions of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

    It said the hearing was attended by other interested parties also.

    The PTA said it also approached the PUBG management to share data about PUBG sessions and users in Pakistan and controls in place by the company. The response from PUBG is awaited, it said.

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

    The LHC also directed the PTA to look into the issue and decide the matter after hearing the complainants.

    The authority had also solicited views of the public to reach any decision about the online game.

  • Fawad Chaudhry urges to unban PUBG immediately

    Fawad Chaudhry urges to unban PUBG immediately

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has opposed the ban on popular battle royale game, PUBG Mobile. In response to a tweet, he said: “I am against such bans because it is destroying our tech industry.”

    He urged Syed Aminul Haque, who is currently serving as Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication, to take action to eliminate hindrances in the digital growth of our country.

    PUBG Mobile was banned in Pakistan on 1st July after PTA received complaints from all quarters. PTA was later asked to explain the reasons behind the decision and submit a lawfully written order to the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

    In another hearing on 15 July in IHC presided by Justice Amir Farooq, the judge said, “PTA should have consulted with a psychologist to learn about the pros and cons of the game before the ban.”

    Explaining the reasons behind the ban, PTA’s counsel said that the game includes anti-Islamic material as well as obscene content. In response, the judge said that there are numerous games with more violence than PUBG, however, it doesn’t mean banning everything is the solution.

    Until now, youngsters have launched multiple social media campaigns to get the attention of PTA, Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry, and other notable names to resolve the matter and unban the game.

  • PTA temporarily bans PUBG

    PTA temporarily bans PUBG

    The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has temporarily banned the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), an online battle game, for being harmful to players’ health.

    The move came after three children committed suicide in Lahore recently due to the online game.

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

    It added that the decision came on the back of complaints received from different segments of society as well as media reports claiming “cases of suicide attributed to PUBG game”.

    “Honorable Lahore High court has also directed PTA to look into the issue and decide the matter after hearing the complainants. In this regard, a hearing is being conducted on the 9th of July 2020,” it added.

    PTA has also urged people to share their opinion and give their feedback on the issue at consultation-pubg@pta.gov.pk by July 10, 2020.

  • Punjab Police wants to ban PUBG after 2 suicides

    Punjab Police wants to ban PUBG after 2 suicides

    Punjab Police wants to ban the popular video game ‘Players Unknown’s Battlegrounds’ (PUBG) after two young people in Lahore committed suicide over the game.

    According to reports, a 16-year-old boy took his own life on Tuesday when his parents stopped him from playing PUBG. His parents called the Hanjarwal police in Gulshan-e-Abbas’s Phase 2 when they found his body.

    The parents refused to allow a post-mortem autopsy. Police have registered this as a case of suicide and further investigation is in process.

    In a similar incident, another 20-year-old boy also committed suicide in Saddar Bazaar in North Cantonment when his parents told him to stop playing the online game.

    As per reports, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (Operations Wing) Lahore, Ashfaq Khan has decided to write a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ban PUBG.

    PUBG is a battle royale game developed by a South Korean company. The game involves multiple players that are connected online as they face off and kill each other to become the last survivor.

  • 21-year-old hangs himself while playing PUBG

    21-year-old hangs himself while playing PUBG

    A 21-year-old committed suicide in India’s Uttar Pradesh state while playing the popular online game Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG).

    As per reports, a 21-year-old man named Shivam hanged himself while playing PUBG. 

    Read more – Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide elicits three deaths

    The victim was an IT graduate who moved to Kanpur to look for a job and was living at his grandmother’s house when he took the extreme step.

    Family members of the deceased claimed that he was addicted to PUBG and used to play the online game for hours on his smartphone.

    They claimed that he was playing PUBG in his room so they were not aware when he hanged himself from the ceiling fan after which they called police.

    The post-mortem report confirmed that Shivam died of suicide.

    PUBG is is an online multiplayer battle royale game that has billions of downloads and a huge fan base. 

  • 16-year-old dies playing PUBG

    16-year-old dies playing PUBG

    A 16-year-old boy from Indian state of Tamil Nadu has died of a cardiac arrest while playing popular online multiplayer game Player Unknown’s Battleground (PUBG).

    The deceased, Sathish Kumar, was a second year textile designing student at a polytechnic college.

    Reportedly, the cause of cardiac arrest was intensive involvement in the game for six long hours, after which he collapsed. He started shouting hysterically before collapsing and was taken to a local hospital where he was declared dead.

    There is a common belief that the game causes undue stress and tension that has led to the death of Kumar and a few others. There is a lack of evidence in this regard but video games like these have been known to cause aggression and depression.

    Multiple deaths of PUBG players have been reported previously and playing such games for too long is not recommended.

    While no such incidents have been reported in Pakistan, the death comes days after the Lahore High Court (LHC) directed Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to decide whether PUBG should be banned in the country.

    The court was hearing a petition filed by a citizen, Faizan Maqsood, against the online game, seeking its removal from the Google Play Store. The petition said that the game had a negative impact on children and their personalities leading to violent tendencies. The petition stated that the game also had a negative impact on decision making skills of children.

    If PTA does go forward with the ban, Pakistan would not be the first country to take such action as some other countries have already banned the popular online game. Jordan is one of the countries which banned PUBG over its “negative effects”.

  • Man files petition to ban PUBG

    Man files petition to ban PUBG

    A petition was filed on Monday in the Lahore High Court to ban video game PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) following which the court ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to decide on the matter within six weeks.

    The petitioner’s lawyer Bilal Riaz Sheikh moved the court after finding some features of PUBG “problematic”.

    “The game has a negative impact on children. They are becoming more ruthless and violent,” he said.

    He asked the court to order the removal of PUBG from the Google Play Store. The court said it has forwarded petition over the game to the PTA several times, but the authority never responds.

    As per reports, the court, earlier, disposed of a similar petition that asked for a ban on the game. 

    PUBG is an online multiplayer In the game, up to one hundred players parachute onto an island and scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill others while avoiding getting killed themselves.

  • Man gets over-excited, dies of stroke while playing PUBG

    Man gets over-excited, dies of stroke while playing PUBG

    The popular online game Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds or PUBG had taken the world by storm and many people are addicted to this game. Recently, a man died of a stroke while playing the game.

    25-year-old Harshal Menane, from the Indian state of Maharastra, died as he suffered a brain stroke while playing PUBG on the mobile. As per reports, the man suffered from an Intracerebral hemorrhaging because he got too excited while playing the game.

    Following the stroke, the man was instantly taken to the hospital to undergo surgery. Unfortunately, it was too late as he died during the process. The autopsy report stated,

    This is not the first time that the popular mobile game has taken a life. A 20-year-old Saurabh of India accidentally drank a bottle of chemical instead of water. This happened because he was too focused on the video game to notice what he was consuming.