The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has stated that no network shutdowns were ordered after the February 8 general elections day, when the telecom regulator blocked access to mobile internet services on the Ministry of Interior’s directives, according to a report by Dawn.com.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) heard on Tuesday the petitions filed against internet outages, including the continuing disruption of X (formerly Twitter), in the weeks leading up to the elections. The PTA submitted its reply in response to the petition initiated by independent candidate and rights activist Jibran Nasir, who called on the court to take notice of “targeted” internet outages, saying such disruptions were adversely impacting election campaigning, businesses, and regular social media users.
The SHC had directed the PTA and other state authorities to ensure uninterrupted connectivity until the polling day. However, mobile internet services were “temporarily” suspended across the country as polling began on February 8, 2024. “To maintain the state of peace and safety and to deal with potential [security] threats, protective measures are inevitable,” the interior ministry had said. “Therefore, it has been decided to suspend mobile services temporarily across the country.”
In the Tuesday hearing, the PTA representatives confirmed that the authority had received directives from the interior ministry to block cellular internet services on the polling day, adding the regulator was bound to abide by the ministry’s instructions. The PTA said it is “under a legal obligation to comply with the instructions/directions based on the reports of intelligence agencies”. The interior ministry had issued a letter to the PTA to suspend mobile services over “security environment” and a “surge in terrorist activities”, according to the PTA’s response.
The interior ministry, however, requested an extension to submit its response, which is now due by March 20.
On the other hand, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) heard the petition filed early this week against the continuing intermittent disruption of X by a resident of Islamabad. The petitioner’s lawyer told the court that the government has “imposed a ban on X since February 17”. The application states the restrictions on X are a violation of Article 19 (freedom of speech), terming internet curbs “derogatory” to the Constitution of Pakistan. The court has issued notices to the PTA and Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT).
The hearing has been adjourned until next week.
