Saturday, March 04, 2006

Kafka is Alive and Well in Pakistan


As of this morning some Pakistani bloggers (such as me) face a peculiar new reality. Apparently the Head Chowkidar and his minions, no doubt anxious and jumpy about increasing domestic protests, have decided to de-link Pakistan from a number of websites. Among these newly banned sites is one Blogspot.Com, which happens to the home of this blog.

So Readers, I now find myself in a rather Kafkaesque situation. While I can write my blog, once I publish it on the web I am unable (as I live in Pakistan) to access it. I do not know how long this ridiculous situation will last

As the visiting global village idiot George W. Bush, currently in Islamabad, insists that democracy and free speech is thriving in Pakistan, Musharraf will make certain that these kinds of weirdnesses will continue for some time to come.

So, if you do not see further regular updates then it is goodbye from me - for a while at least. In that event I would welcome any suggestions/comments from readers on how to overcome the hurdle.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

U might find the suggestions here useful (to bypass the censorship)

http://ko.offroadpakistan.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=522

Anonymous said...

And also plz don't stop blogging! Just get a new blog if u have to on another site plz.

Anonymous said...

My good friend try to study this. It may give you advice or at least better understanding of your situation. Good luck.

http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=542

Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents


Blogs get people excited. Or else they disturb and worry them. Some people distrust them. Others see them as the vanguard of a new information revolution. Because they allow and encourage ordinary people to speak up, they’re tremendous tools of freedom of expression.
Bloggers are often the only real journalists in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure. Only they provide independent news, at the risk of displeasing the government and sometimes courting arrest.
Reporters Without Borders has produced this handbook to help them, with handy tips and technical advice on how to to remain anonymous and to get round censorship, by choosing the most suitable method for each situation. It also explains how to set up and make the most of a blog, to publicise it (getting it picked up efficiently by search-engines) and to establish its credibility through observing basic ethical and journalistic principles.



Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents
Pdf, 1,6 Mo


Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents
Printer friendly Pdf, 3,4 Mo

A Different Drum said...

Thank you all!

I am still able to write my blogs and am now accessing the blog page using anonymisers.

Mosilager said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Mosilager said...

There's a discussion about this in urdu here.