The app said it removed more than six million videos.
The telecommunication regulating body of Pakistan has revoked the ban on TikTok for the fourth time.
The video-sharing platform TikTok has made assurances to control ‘immoral’ content.
TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, has been downloaded more than 39 million times in Pakistan.
A spokesperson from TikTok had previously said:
“Pakistan is an important market for us and as soon as public access to TikTok is restored, we will bring new projects and investments.”
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) issued a statement on November 19, 2021, which read:
“Subsequent to the imposition of ban on 20 July 2021, PTA remained in communications with the TikTok management.
“As a result of continuous engagement, senior management of the platform assured PTA of its commitment to take necessary measures to control unlawful content in accordance with local laws and societal norms.”
The statement further stated that TikTok officials assured that the users who are involved in sharing unlawful content will be blocked.
Pakistan had earlier suspended the video-sharing platform in 2020 on similar charges.
Meanwhile, Pakistani officials have said that they will monitor the application to ensure that “unlawful content, contrary to law and societal values, is not disseminated”.
In March 2021, the Peshawar High Court ruled to ban the platform. The ban was later revoked in April.
Two months later, the Sindh High Court ordered to block access to TikTok for spreading immorality and obscenity in Pakistan.
The court had lifted the suspension three days after issuing the order.
TikTok was banned for the first time in Pakistan in October 2020 over complaints regarding indecent and immoral content.
The ban was lifted ten days later after the company assured regulators that it would terminate the accounts of those spreading immoral content.
The app said it removed more than six million videos in Pakistan from January to March 2021, making the country the second market to get the most videos removed after the US.
However, Pakistan blocked access to the app again in July 2021 for its failure to remove inappropriate content.
In a recent hearing, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) questioned the PTA’s decision to ban TikTok and added that other digital platforms spreading such content should also be banned.
The IHC then directed the PTA to consult the government and formulate a strategy to deal with such matters.
Over the years, Pakistan has also forwarded hundreds of complaints to Facebook and Twitter about content, alleging it is insulting to Islam, which goes against Pakistani law.
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