ISLAMABAD: Punjab police on Friday recommended that the government ban online game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) in relation to last week's incident in Lahore, in which a teenager shot dead his mother and siblings.
Police said the teenager had admitted to killing his mother, two sisters and brother as he was under “mental stress” that was increased by his repeated defeats in the game. The suspect told police he had thought that, like in the game, his family members would reappear after having been killed.
“To stop acts of violence caused by this game, it is necessary to ban PUBG,” the police said. “Youngsters addicted to completing the game’s tasks eventually commit acts of violence.”
Police appealed to parents to keep an eye on their children as "such activities can result in irreparable losses."
Pakistan had banned PUBG in July 2020, after Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said it had received numerous complaints that the game "affects physical and mental health" of children and teenagers.
“The game is highly addictive, destroying the youth, a wastage of time and has a negative impact on physical and psychological health,” the PTA said in its report at the time.
The ban was lifted the same month by the Islamabad High Court.
