Rediff

Islamabad, Feb 23: Pakistani authorities on Friday banned access to the popular video-hosting website YouTube for allegedly featuring blasphemous cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority directed internet service providers across the country to block access to youtube.com.

A statement issued to customers by Micronet Broadband, one of Pakistan's leading internet service providers said, 'Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has directed all ISPs of the country to block access to YouTube for containing blasphemous web content/movies'.

The website would remain blocked till further orders from PTA.

Micronet urged Internet users to 'write to YouTube to remove the objectionable web content/movies because this removal would enable the authorities to order un-blocking of this website'.

The blasphemous cartoons had triggered widespread protests across Pakistan when they were originally published. Pakistan's foreign ministry recently registered a strong protest with the Danish government against the republication of the cartoons in that country.