Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan at the conclusion of the Olympic Games on Sunday, shared a message for his followers on social media, featuring a Tiktok video that conveys the importance of not giving up.
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“I want the youth of Pakistan to watch the race and learn the most important lesson that sports taught me: you only lose when you give up,” wrote the premier.
The 62-second clip shared by PM Imran Khan shows an athlete falling down on his face during a sprint before getting back on his feet again and finishing ahead of everyone else.
It is the fourth time that the wildly popular video sharing app has been blocked in Pakistan and the third time this year. Free speech advocates are critical of growing censorship since PM Imran Khan took office in 2018.
The app has been caught up in a series of legal battles with religious activists and authorities. Prior to this shutdown, the app was barred for two days in early July on the order of a provincial court.
Read More – Justice Athar Minallah expresses anger over TikTok ban, asks PTA for justification
Despite being hugely popular and useful to many who market and sell goods online in Pakistan, TikTok has many critics in the country who claim the app promotes vulgarity.
In June, the company announced it had removed more than siz million videos in just the previous three months alone as a result of complaints from officials and citizens alike. Of those six million videos, 15% were pulled because of “adult nudity and sexual activities.”
The first time that Pakistan moved to block TikTok in 2020, the ban was lifted after diplomatic pressure from China and assurances from Byte Dance, the parent company, with regards to content moderation.
