ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued a notice to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information on a plea challenging the “ban” of social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Access to X has been suspended in many areas of Pakistan since February 17, when former Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Chattha accused the Chief Election Commissioner and Chief Justice of Pakistan of involvement in rigging the February 8 general elections.
In a statement on February 29, monitoring website Downdetector said “metrics show that X/Twitter remains restricted in Pakistan despite brief moments of availability”. Rights bodies and journalistic organizations condemned the silencing of social media, while ISPs also complained. losses due to breakdowns. The United States also called on Pakistan last month to lift restrictions on social media platforms.
Last month, the Sindh High Court (SHC) expressed displeasure over the suspension and instructed the PTA to resume X services “without any interruption or disruption”. However, services remain sporadically interrupted.
Today, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took up the challenge against X restrictions across the country. Lawyers Sardar Masroof and Amna Ali appeared before the court for the petitioners.
At the start of the hearing, Justice Farooq asked if X was defunct, to which Masroof replied, “The government has imposed a ban on X since February 17.
The Chief Justice of the IHC then noted that the SHC had already passed an order on the matter. However, the lawyer here informed the court that a contempt case is pending for non-implementation of SHC guidelines.
Subsequently, the IHC issued notices to the respondents, including the Information Ministry and the PTA, and adjourned the hearing till next week.
