A petition challenging the ban on X (formerly Twitter) prompted the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to issue notices to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the information ministry.
Since February 17, access to X in Pakistan has been significantly restricted. The catalyst for this restriction was the incendiary accusations made by Liaquat Chattha, the former Rawalpindi commissioner. Chattha’s allegations implicated both the chief election commissioner and the chief justice of Pakistan in alleged misconduct surrounding the February 8 general elections.
Last month, Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting, and Parliamentary Affairs, Murtaza Solangi, conveyed to the media the government’s concerns regarding the misuse of social media platforms to instigate violence and disorder.
During a press conference, he emphasized the government’s commitment to taking decisive measures against individuals engaged in such unlawful behavior, by the law.
Solangi underscored that while freedom of expression, as outlined in Article 19 of the Constitution, is valued, it must be exercised within the bounds of the law of the land.
Today, the plea was brought before IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq. The judge was apprised of the government’s imposition of a ban on X since February 17.
Subsequently, the IHC issued notices to both the information ministry and the PTA, adjourning the hearing until the following week.
In a parallel development, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Bahramand Tangi introduced a resolution in the Senate last week, proposing the ban of Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
The resolution asserts that these social media platforms are having adverse effects on the youth of the country.
Tangi has since retracted his statement and apologized for his proposed resolution.