Absurdity on its peak as Pakistan Government bans use of internet in Government offices

[Azad RMS <rmsazad@yahoo.com>]

Dear All, 

This is pure and simple absurdity. It appeared in The
Hindustan Times in its 22nd December, 2000 edition.

Azad



Pakistan Govt bans use of Internet 
Mubashir Zaidi 
(Islamabad, December 21) 

PAKISTAN'S MILITARY government has banned the use of
Internet in government offices fearing an
'unauthorised' outflow of information. 

A report published in the English daily, The Nation,
today said that the ban is ridiculous in wake of the
expanding world of Internet. "The logic behind the ban
was to restrict flow of unauthorised information.
There is a possibility that some information which the
government does not want to make public, could reach
some undesirable person or an organisation through
e-mail, chat or data-transfer facility," a senior
official said. 

The paper said that the decision has badly affected
the research-oriented institutions. Local researchers
told the paper that a researcher needs an Internet
connection and e-mail to correspond with foreign as
well as local researchers, scientists and officials of
various international organisations. 

"Many of us were left with no option but to acquire an
Internet connection out of our own pocket. We, the
researchers and scientists, wonder the government
'strategy' to restrict the flow of information. It was
also against the spirit of government's own policy to
provide Internet and e-mail facility in as many as 296
cities of the country. On one hand the government was
spending an amount of Rs 5 billion on the development
of IT sector with a view to promoting computer culture
which certainly cannot be materialised without
involving all government departments in this regard,"
the researcher said. 


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Random Quotation: If you're too open minded, your
brains will fall out.
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