First, the video: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, trying to give a speech in Urdu to an inattentive crowd, barks “Shut up!” into the microphone, sparking a comedic frenzy across the country and numerous remixes of the infamous video. ABC News picks up what happened next:

“Which brings us to the evening of Sunday, Feb. 7. At about 9:30 p.m., according to the Pakistan Twitterverse, YouTube suddenly disappeared from Pakistani Internet Service Providers.

About an hour later, it seems that all was fixed — with one very blatant exception. The dozen or so YouTube videos featuring Zardari’s explosion in loop were still restricted. You could search for them, but you couldn’t watch them (see screen grab below).

Both the government and YouTube say they’re checking to see what’s going on.

…It’s important to note that as of right now, it’s not clear who restricted the videos (or at least, nobody’s owning up to it).

But Zardari’s government – the first democratic government in Pakistan in more than a decade — has taken steps in the past to restrict critical speech.”

Let’s face it: The widower of Benazir Bhutto is continually fighting an uphill P.R. battle, and his little outburst does nothing to reverse the perception that he’s disconnected with the people. He can shut up YouTube, but that will only make the video more viral — and his political reputation more toxic.

(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)