After we had the public protesting over the ban of PUBG, the rumors of a prospective YouTube ban spread like fire. Now, the threat is a ban on books. The Punjab Assembly passed a Punjab Tahaffuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam Act, 2020, which banned around 100 textbooks in the province.
The act banned the books over ‘anti-Pakistan and anti-religious’ content. And the reasons were as petty as portraying Pakistan as inferior to India and including the sayings of Mahatma Gandhi in books. The act banned some maths books just because they explained counting concepts by showing pictures of pigs.
#Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board bans 100 textbooks it alleges contained 'anti-#Pakistan' and 'blasphemous' material such as using pictures of pigs to teach mathematics conceptshttps://t.co/rywUKb7JDl
— Newsweek Pakistan (@NewsweekPak) July 24, 2020
This also authorized the DGPR to visit any printing press and publishing house and confiscate any book
Also, FIRs would be registered against the publishers in case of violation.
According to the Punjab Tahaffuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam Bill 2020, the DGPR will have the powers to visit and inspect any printing press, publication house, book store and confiscate any book, before or after printing.
— Benazir Shah (@Benazir_Shah) July 23, 2020
The DGPR shall refuse permission to import, print or publish a book “if it is prejudicial to national interest, culture, religious and sectarian harmony.”
— Benazir Shah (@Benazir_Shah) July 23, 2020
Pakistanis are furious over this
Punjab Assembly passes Tahaffuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam Bill. WHY DONT THEY JUST BAN ALL BOOKS SO WE CAN LIVE HAPPILY IN OUR IGNORANCE FOREVER AND FOREVER AMEEN! https://t.co/bOIbJAJ8rY
— Haroun Rashid (@HarounRashid2) July 23, 2020
Instead of banning books, Punjab Text Book Board should just ban reading. Na rahe ga baans, na bajay gi baansri.
— Moni Mohsin (@moni_butterfly) July 24, 2020
Books getting banned for quoting Gandhi & using pigs in math word problems. Am I the only one who feels like they’re trapped in a dystopian nightmare & is just waiting to wake up? https://t.co/mNNrxlb5S4
— Nida Kirmani (@nidkirm) July 24, 2020
Chalo sahih hai waisay bhi the boomers are like 'aaj kal koi parhta thori hai' ban hi kerdo
— Atiya Abbas (@AtiyaAbbas_) July 24, 2020
People are pointing out the long term consequences of such decisions
God forbid, very soon we'll see book stores like Saaed book bank, Mr Books, liberty books and more close down because they won't be able to import books from abroad.
Local printing press will also be closing down because the authors work won't be getting a go ahead.
— Mustafa T. Wynne (@mustafa_wynne) July 24, 2020
Ban technology, ban books, ban literally anything that goes against your narrative and then get hurt when people call you a fascist state.
— Moochar (@AsliBinLaden) July 24, 2020
It’s truly a bit much for some
It’s okay. They don’t read. Best way to keep a secret in Pakistan: print it on page 100 of a book
— Omar Waraich (@OmarWaraich) July 24, 2020
Muslims then vs Muslims now pic.twitter.com/37hLgEyYms
— Saad Asad (@Saad_163_) July 24, 2020
One can only hope that this restrictive ban gets lifted immediately
Well this is a god awful development. Only hope is that the government fails to implement this in the same way they fail to implement so many other things. https://t.co/5pJhR35MeB
— Shaheryar Mirza (@mirza9) July 23, 2020
Provided that the reading culture is already at the brink of extinction, such decisions will just make things worse. What’s your say on this entire book ban? Let us know in the comments below.
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