Islamabad , Pakistan ( CNN ) -- Under heavy criticism for a telling cell phone carriers to ban certain words in text messages , the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority went into damage control mode Wednesday . PTA spokesman Mohammed Younis Wednesday denied the existence of the plan , which has met with derision from mobile phone users in the country . `` If at all we finally decide to go for this process , then we will prepare a list in consultation with the mobile operators , '' Younis told CNN . In another conversation with CNN two days earlier , however , Younis acknowledged that the telecommunications authority had sent out a notice to carriers -- but said that the agency was giving the operators more time to come up with a shorter list . Earlier this week , three carriers -- Mobilink , Warid and Telenor -- received the notice , officials there confirmed . In it , the PTA , which regulates cell phone and internet carriers in Pakistan , called on them to implement the ban within seven days . This would mean blocking text messages containing the offending words . Most of the 1,500 banned words were deemed sexually explicit or obscene by the PTA , the officials said . The words include `` taxi '' -- often used to refer to prostitutes in Pakistan -- `` gay , '' `` tongue , '' `` homosexual , '' `` intercourse , '' `` condom '' and `` hole . '' CNN has obtained a copy of the list . In the notice , which is available online , the PTA cited a law that bans the transmission of indecent and obscene messages . The notice says the banned words are part of an effort to cut down on spam and unsolicited text messages , the officials said . Last month , the PTA banned thousands of websites containing pornography . But the latest about face on text messages appears to mean the PTA will not act on the notice -- at least , any time soon .
Pakistan tells phone companies to block 1,500 words from text messages . Cell phone users respond with derision . The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority sends mixed messages on its plan . Comment: