In Pakistan, Google and Apple synonymously banned seven apps that were developed in the United States of America by members of the Ahmadi community.
As per sources close to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), these apps have been banned because, despite complaints from Muslim clerics across the region, they repeatedly shared blasphemous content.
According to sources, three of the controversial games include fabricated Arabic text allegedly found from the Ahmadi viewpoint in the Holy Quran and commentary.
While the apps are still available in app stores of other countries, Google is waiting for the PTA to delete the other four apps that include an unverified Ahmadi eschatology FAQ and a weekly Urdu-language news magazine.
After a backlash by renowned Muslim clerics over the spread of illicit content, the PTA released new guidelines for the control of social media in 2020. These laws now allow the power to censor information that may in some way harm the government or challenge the sanctity of Islam.
