WiredPakistan.com a technology blog and the forum run by KO for the past year has in a very astonishing development come under the censorship umbrella as per the directive issued by Network Operations Center at the Pakistan Internet Exchange.

A careful watch has been setup by Don’t Block the Blog and other organizations to monitor the developing situation and which ISP’s comply with this directive and as of the writing of this report only PTCL DSL subscribers are facing the block while others remain in the clear. We all remain astonished as to why an Innocent technology website has been a target of such censorship by the government of Pakistan

An email sent to various ISP identified the website as a blocked website

Subject: Re: Blocked IP
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 15:06:47 +0500
From: NOC ITI
To: #########
CC: NOC ITI

Assalam-o-Alaikum

Dear Customer,

It is to apprise you that the following website has been blocked as per directive of PTA.
www.wiredpakistan.com

Best Regards,

[name removed]
Network Operations Center
Pakistan Internet Exchange
<sub>Voice :
Fax :
Email:
IP Services,


Web : http://www.pie.net.pk</sub>

While a traceroute from Worldcall Wireless shows it being blocked at the level of PIE

Tracing route to wiredpakistan.com [66.29.**.***] over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 251 ms 259 ms 259 ms 172.16.12.2
2 280 ms 260 ms 256 ms 172.16.12.1
3 254 ms 255 ms 259 ms host65.worldcall.net.pk [203.81.192.65]
4 257 ms 260 ms 261 ms cr01-g1-stm1-lhr-wc.worldcall.net.pk [203.81.192.1]
5 258 ms 260 ms 282 ms lhr63.pie.net.pk [202.125.147.41]
6 258 ms 259 ms 259 ms lhr63.pie.net.pk [202.125.138.135]
7 * * * Request timed out.