X, formerly known as Twitter, has entered its second month of unexplained intermittent disruption in Pakistan. The popular social media platform was banned on February 17, 2024, over a week after the general election was held in the country.
The reason behind the prolonged disruption remains unknown as neither the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) nor any government official has acknowledged the ban. The surreptitious blocking of X, which has about 4.7 million users in Pakistan, gathered more mist of uncertainty after Attaullah Tarar, the newly appointed information minister, claimed during a March 13 press conference that the platform was accessible.
Despite civil society organisations, rights advocates, journalists, and individuals in other prominent positions condemning the ban on X and calling for its immediate restoration, the authorities hardly appear to have realised the severity of the damage this arbitrary move has inflicted on the country’s position in the digital market.
The unexplained ban on a major social media platform for such length of time forebodes a grim outlook for the country’s prospects in digital development, with uncertainty and authoritative restrictions looming over other lucrative social media platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, too. The prolonged ban has thickened the pall of uncertainty over the country’s digital landscape and eroded public trust in crucial democratic processes, primarily the elections.
The disruption, which has already opened the floodgates to questions regarding transparency and accountability around the February 8 polls, continues to make headlines in both local and international news publications. The lack of official clarification about the ban has only added to the growing trend of digital censorship in Pakistan — a country trapped in dismal slots in global rankings that document growth in digital arenas.
The level of uncertainty and apprehension persisting from arbitrary internet shutdowns and platform blocking has reached such heights that when Meta platforms went down early this month, the first sinking thought to strike many of us was whether the ban had been expanded over to other social media platforms. Inarguably, such reaction was a result of increasing trend of unpredictability with regards to accessibility to online apps, which has embedded a deep sense of mingled uncertainty and fear in citizens.
The suppressive treatment of X speaks volumes about the lack of and unwillingness to recognise both the severity of the problem and the potential of the internet. Digital media has become an integral component for the development of individuals and communities the world over, and the free flow of information, when targeted with obstacles in manners so unprecedented, undermines an individual’s capacity to make informed decisions.
Over the years, X has gained a strong footing among the masses in Pakistan despite tough competition from its rivals that offer far more appealing features. The platform has become a staple space for social and political discourse, allowing regular users to engage in dialogues worthy of attention and enabling them to interact with key public figures. Besides facilitating direct engagement, X has turned into a convenient platform to seek professional opportunities for the vast pool of talent based on it.
The ban has not only disrupted the workflow of digital investigators working on mis/disinformation, but also emboldened propagators of false and misleading narratives on the platform. It has heavily impacted businesses and the news industry, not to mention the swift access to real-time information on critical events unfolding in the country and beyond. Moreover, the use of various unsecured VPNs (virtual private networks) threatens an individual’s data privacy, compromises the safety of their device, and affects their connectivity and overall device performance.
Internet and platform shutdowns are not an uncommon occurrence in Pakistan. The infamous four-time TikTok ban still echoes loudly in conjunction with deeply ambiguous and subjectively interpretative terms like “immoral” and “indecent”, which have become centrepieces of official notifications by the regulators — be it the PTA or the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). To make matters worse, various draconian legislative attempts at bringing tech companies under increased control have shrunk the space for dialogue around meaningful digital governance in the country.
However, the continuing X ban, which is an unprecedented occurrence in itself, and its handling by the state (as if it does not warrant a clarification), only continues to weaken Pakistan’s position in the global digital market while the lofty visions for a “Digital Pakistan” remain relegated to ink and paper, government after government.
