Pakistan: Blog-o-block · Global Voices
Omer Alvie

I am sure the readers of Global Voices are, by now, well aware of the recent move by ISPs in Pakistan to block blogspot.com sites. The rationale behind this ban cannot be logically justified. The reason given is that due to pressure from (political) groups within Pakistan, the government has in turn (through Pakistan Telecommunications Authority) has pressured ISPs to block sites that displayed the controversial caricatures of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). What has resulted as a consequence of the ISP move is the blocking of all blogspot.com web logs, which cannot be viewed within Pakistan. What the ISPs, the government and those who initiated this cartoon protest web site ban, fail to realize is that they also blocked all those web logs on blogspot.com that actually protested against the printing of these controversial cartoons.
I am very happy to report that it was Global Voices that brought the requisite attention to many readers before the mainstream media even picked up on the story.
Personally, I protested this blogspot.com ban the only way I thought logical, which was to start the DON’T BLOCK THE BLOG campaign with an old blogger friend, Awab Alvi.
As an update to what is being written on blogs regarding this issue, please review a small sample of  links presented below:.
Teeth Maestro announces the launch of our campaign; Procrastination also details the blogspot issue; Danial suggests actions to protest the ban; Ovais Khan presents some ways around the ban; and finally, Windmills also writes a furious response to this blogspot.com ban in Pakistan.
I encourage all the readers to support our campaign or any other online free speech campaign. This is a very important issue. And I thank all of you who have supported our campaign and/or protested this blogspot.com blockade.