Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD), a leading digital rights and media information literacy initiative, has launched an online campaign against the prolonged suspension of X (formerly Twitter) in Pakistan.
The campaign, titled “Restore X”, urges the use of the hashtags #RestoreX and #internetkholo (or “unblock internet”). It highlights X’s significance in the digital landscape of Pakistan as a leading platform for communication and how its suspension is affecting the free flow of information.
X has been inaccessible since February 17, 2024, in Pakistan. It was blocked a week after the general elections were held. For several weeks, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Interior, which have been taken to court, remained silent on the ban. In the meantime, Attaullah Tarar, the federal information minister, claimed that X was accessible. Later, he contradicted his own statement by admitting that X was already blocked when the new government took over.
Related: #RestoreX: The curiously convoluted case of X suspension in Pakistan
The suspension of X has been challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC), Peshawar High Court (PHC), and Islamabad High Court (IHC). The SHC alone is hearing four applications, which have been clubbed together. So far, the PTA has only produced a letter, dated February 17, from the interior ministry, which shows directives to block X “immediately until further notice” in the SHC.
The interior ministry, on the other hand, has told the IHC that access to X was blocked following reports from intelligence agencies. The reports stated the content being posted to X was a “threat to national security”, the ministry said. The court has summoned the interior secretary on April 17, 2024, according to a report by Dawn.com. The responses from the PTA and interior ministry come after weeks of silence and aversion.
A joint statement, signed by over 70 CSOs, rights advocates, journalists, and individuals in other prominent positions has called for the immediate restoration of X. It terms the unannounced ban on X an “arbitrary” measure and says the suspension violates Pakistan’s international law commitments.
Signatories include leading digital rights organisations from both Pakistan and around the world, including Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD), Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), Access now, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and Amnesty International.
