Pakistan on Wednesday announced that it was temporarily banning the popular online battle game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or PUBG, terming it addictive and wastage of time. The decision was taken after a 16-year-old boy committed suicide in Hanjarwal area on June 26.
As the news of the move by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority crossed the border, some Indians also demanded the same action from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. On DNA's Twitter post regarding the ban in Pakistan, dozens of replies urge the Modi government to take the step.
Here are some of the post by DNA's Twitter followers demanding ban on PUBG:
There have been various reports of extreme steps by youngsters due to PUBG addiction.
In an incident as recently as June 26, a 22-year-old youth addicted to PUBG allegedly committed suicide at his home in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district.
On June 9, police in Rajasthan's Kota linked a teenager's suicide to PUBG.
"A class IX student committed suicide at his home in Kota on Sunday. During preliminary investigation, it has surfaced that he used to play mobile games and 2 days back had downloaded PUBG," said Hansraj Meena, Circle Inspector (CI), Railway Colony Police Station.
In April, a 13-year-old boy in Punjab's Patiala committed suicide after his parents stopped him from playing PUBG.
PUBG ban in Pakistan
The decision by Pakistan authorities was taken after a 16-year-old boy had committed suicide in Hanjarwal area by hanging himself from a ceiling fan of his house when he "missed his mission" in PUBG, Pak media reported.
The police had confirmed that the boy named Mohammad Zakarya took the extreme step for not completing his task while playing the online game.
"We found his mobile phone on the bed with the PUBG game on at that time near his body. We immediately called the Punjab Forensic Science Agency for further investigation into the incident," Dawn.com quoted Saddar Division SP Operations Ghazanfar Syed as saying.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority also stated that the decision was taken after receiving numerous complaints. PTA also said that certain media reports had as well which have attributed cases of suicide to PUBG.
"PTA has received numerous complaints against PUBG wherein it is stated that the game is addictive, wastage of time and poses a serious negative impact on the physical and psychological health of the children," Pakistan Telecommunication Authority stated in a Twitter post.
"Honorable Lahore High court has also directed PTA to look into the issue and decide the matter after hearing the complainants. In this regard, a hearing is being conducted on 9th of July 2020," PTA said in a statement.
PUBG, developed by a South Korean company, is a 2017 survival game in which players are dropped onto an island to battle it out against others.
The multiplayer game allows players from all over the world to compete against each other or in teams. Players attack and kill each other in the game and the more you win, the higher you rank. It has garnered 34.2 million downloads worldwide so far.
