One-minute internet blackout dropped from July programme: Farooki

The government has scrapped the symbolic one-minute internet blackout that was initially included in the July Commemoration programme.

"We held a quick internal meeting and decided that the symbolic one-minute internet blackout will not take place. A revised slide is being shared accordingly," Culture Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki said in a Facebook post this morning.

"All other programmes will remain unchanged," he wrote, adding that there had been some indecision about this particular programme since the planning stage.

"It was the only segment that we kept removing and re-including. Many of us agreed that a one-minute internet blackout might not be a great idea. However, after further discussions, it ended up back in the plan."

Acknowledging that large-scale programmes with big teams may sometimes overlook a few missteps, he thanked supporters for sharing their opinions on the matter.

"Let's reconnect, regroup, and reignite the very July fire," he wrote.