ISLAMABAD, Nov 21: Mobile phone companies operating in the country on Monday deferred implementing a ban on nearly 1,700 'obscene' words from text messages, saying they were seeking further clarification from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The list, including words from 'quickie' to 'fairy' to 'Jesus Christ', was distributed on Nov 14 with operators given seven days to comply, but has met with widespread derision and a threat of legal action.

“Obviously there are concerns and we have some reservations,” said Omar Manzur, spokesman for Mobilink.

“This regulation will be implemented only after mutual agreement between the PTA and us. We should wait until the end of this discussion,” Mr Manzur told AFP.

A spokesman for Telenor said he was “not in a position to say when this (ban) will be implemented”.

“If this is a regulation and a law then we have to implement it but so far we are in discussions,” Telenor spokesman Sohaib Mustafa said.

The PTA denied that Monday marked any formal deadline on the ban as messages containing the words continued to be transmitted.

“There were two weekly holidays on 19 and 20 November and there are still two days left to complete this seven-day period,” Mohammad Younis Khan told AFP.

He acknowledged the 'reservations' of telecom companies and said the PTA was “ready to sort that out through mutual discussions”.

The letter accompanying the list of banned words said the move was legal under the Pakistan Telecommunication Act of 1996 which prohibits people from transmitting messages that are “false, fabricated, indecent or obscene”.

But campaign group Bytes for All has said it will challenge the order in court, saying “a new, ruthless wave of moral policing” violates right to free speech and privacy, and makes a mockery of the entire country.—AFP