Pakistan govt blocks X over 'misuse' concerns; HC orders to restore social media platform within one week

Since February, X has been inaccessible to millions of Pakistani users, following the government's move to restrict access to the social media platform citing national security concerns.

In a recent development, the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday (April 17) issued a directive to the Ministry of Interior, instructing them to lift the suspension imposed on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, within a week.

During the hearing of several petitions filed by Zarrar Khuhro, Jibran Nasir, and others, Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi of the SHC criticized the decision to shut down X, questioning the government's rationale. He remarked, "What are you achieving via shutting down trivial things. The world must laugh at us."

Since February, X has been inaccessible to millions of Pakistani users, following the government's move to restrict access to the social media platform citing national security concerns.

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) informed the court last month that the suspension of X was carried out based on directives from the Ministry of Interior and intelligence agencies. However, the SHC emphasized that the law does not grant the interior ministry the authority to act solely on reports from intelligence agencies.

Expressing concerns over the suspension, the petitioner's lawyer argued that the use of X and other social media platforms does not pose a threat of security incidents. Chief Justice Abbasi echoed these sentiments, stating that no adequate justification was provided for the suspension.

Consequently, the SHC has adjourned the hearing until May 9, requesting the Ministry of Interior to present the reasons behind the platform's suspension on that date. The court has warned that if the ministry fails to withdraw the directives issued on February 17, it will issue its own orders regarding the matter.