The Sindh High Court (SHC) has criticised the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for changing its stance on the blocking of X (formerly Twitter).During a hearing led by SHC Chief Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui on Monday, the court expressed displeasure over PTA’s reversal of the Interior Ministry’s notification regarding the platform’s ban.
The court questioned whether PTA’s action constituted professional misconduct or misrepresentation.”Who gave you these instructions? Name the person,” the chief justice asked, irked at the inconsistency.Despite the deputy attorney general’s defence that it was an unintentional mistake due to case overload, the court remained firm in its stance.
The court further indicated the possibility of contempt proceedings and suggested that PTA’s chairman could be summoned for clarification.PTA’s lawyer was also questioned for providing information without being prompted, with the court noting that the other PTA lawyer had earlier stated that no such instructions were issued.
The case was postponed until 24 September, with the court consolidating PTA’s petition with other related cases, neither retracting nor amending its prior orders.
