A petition challenging the prohibition of X (formerly Twitter) prompted the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to issue notifications to both the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the information ministry.
Since February 17, access to X in Pakistan has been notably restricted. The trigger for this limitation was the inflammatory 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, Murtaza Solangi, the Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting, and Parliamentary Affairs, conveyed the government’s concerns regarding the misuse of social media platforms to incite violence and disorder.
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During a press conference, he emphasized the government’s dedication to taking decisive measures against individuals engaged in such unlawful behavior, in accordance with the law.
Solangi stressed that while the freedom of expression, as outlined in Article 19 of the Constitution, is valued, it must be exercised within the parameters of the law.
Today, the plea was presented before IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq. The judge was informed of the government’s imposition of a ban on X since February 17.
Consequently, the IHC issued notifications 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 banning of Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
The resolution argues that these social media platforms are having detrimental effects on the youth of the country.
Tangi has since withdrawn his statement and apologized for his proposed resolution.
