The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has told the Sindh High Court (SHC) that the continuing ban on X (formerly Twitter) was imposed following instructions from the Ministry of Interior, according to a report by Dawn.com.
X started facing disruption in Pakistan on February 17, 2024, just over a week after the general election was held in the country. It has since been inaccessible to users and is being largely used via VPNs (virtual private networks). The ban was imposed as people awaited the polling results, and former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha made public accusations of “election rigging”. Widespread concerns and allegations of lack transparency in the elections were already gaining steam on social media by that time.
The weeks leading up to the elections witnessed several internet and platform blockages. The matter was subsequently taken to court, including by activist and independent candidate Jibran Nasir. The petitions highlighted that the disruptions were adversely impacting election campaigning, businesses, and regular users. The SHC sent notices to the PTA and interior ministry, seeking explanation over connectivity outages.
In a hearing on Wednesday, the PTA told the court that X was blocked on the interior ministry’s directives. The telecom regulator produced a letter from the ministry, dated February 17, directing the authority to block X “immediately till further orders”. The PTA said the directives came following reports the interior ministry had received from intelligence agencies. No reasons behind the blocking of X have yet been disclosed.
The interior ministry sought further extension to submit its response, drawing displeasure from the court. However, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Khaleeq Ahmed submitted a written response later on the ministry’s behalf, according to which internet services were disrupted only on May 9, 2024.
In a previous hearing, the PTA had claimed that no internet shutdowns were ordered by the interior ministry after the polling day, when mobile internet services were “temporarily” suspended across the country on the pretext of security concerns. The regulator had also remarked that is was “under a legal obligation to comply with the instructions/directions based on the reports of intelligence agencies”.
Despite repeated assurances and promises to hold “free and fair” election by the caretaker government, mobile internet services were blocked early on the polling day. Prior to the polls, the SHC had directed the authorities to ensure uninterrupted connectivity until the elections. However, citizens were hit with widespread disruptions to mobile services on February 8, which, in addition to raising concerns about potential rigging, impacted their access to essential election-related information.
The ongoing X ban has been roundly condemned by civil society groups, rights advocates, and journalists. In a joint statement, signed by over 70 stakeholders, the ban has been termed a violation of Article 19 of the Constitution. Signatories include Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD), Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Access Now, and Amnesty International. The statement calls for the restoration of X services, saying such arbitrary internet shutdowns and platform blocking violate citizens’ right to access to information and undermine Pakistan’s international law commitments.
Read the full statement here
