LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday dismissed for non-prosecution a writ petition seeking a ban on online game PUBG in Pakistan in the wake of incidents of violence and killings committed by young players of the game.

It was second hearing of the petition when neither the petitioner nor his counsel appeared before the court.

Resultantly, Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza dismissed the petition for non-prosecution.

Tanvir Sarwar, a citizen, filed the petition through his counsel, Nadeem Sarwar, saying that online games had become a trend among the young generation. He pointed out that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared in 2018 gaming addiction as a mental health disorder. He said the WHO had declared that addiction to video games increased depression and anxiety levels in the players.

The petitioner submitted that the PUBG players had been committing murders in Pakistan due to adverse impact of the game, quoting a recent incident in which a young boy had allegedly killed his mother and three siblings influenced by the game.

He contended that inaction on part of the government to ban PUBG despite horrible incidents of killings was a violation of the Constitution. He said a ban needed to be imposed on the game at the earliest without further delay to protect the lives of young generation.

The petitioner pleaded to the court to order the respondents to impose an immediate ban on PUBG by blocking its access in the country.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2022