The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) decided on Wednesday to temporarily suspend online game Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG).
In a statement, the authority said it had received several complaints about the game being “addictive”, a waste of time and its potential negative impact on children’s physical and psychological health.
“According to media reports, cases of suicide attributed to the game have also been reported. The Lahore High Court has also directed PTA to look into the issue and decide the matter after hearing the complaints.
“A hearing will be conducted in this regard on July 9,” it said.
The PTA also urged the public to provide their feedback on the online game before July 10 by emailing the authority.
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.
He wrote to Punjab IGP Shoaib Dastagir seeking his help to move a reference to the authorities concerned for a ban on PUBG.
The action was proposed after a 16-year-old boy died by suicide in Hanjarwal area of Lahore after he failed to accomplish a mission he was assigned in the game within the stipulated time.
