Observer Report
Islamabad
The ban on video-sharing app TikTok by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been challenged in the Sindh High Court (SHC). According to the petitioner, there are 20 million users of TikTok in Pakistan and the ban is a violation of Article 19 of the Constitution. Article 19 states: “Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, [commission of] or incitement to an offence.”
