The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to fully restore the services of social media platform X (formerly Twitter) across the country.
X remains disrupted in many areas of Pakistan for the sixth consecutive day. According to monitoring website Downdetector, the disruptions were reported in Rawalpindi, Karachi, Gujranwala and Lahore among other cities.
During a hearing on Thursday, SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi instructed the PTA that the services of X should remain restored “without any interruption or disruption”.
The directive was issued on a petition filed by senior journalists through Advocate Abdul Moiz Jaferii. It contended that restricting or blocking access to X was “unlawful, arbitrary and violation of the letter and spirit of Article 19 and 19-A of the Constitution”.
The plea named the PTA, interior ministry and information ministry as respondents in the case. X has been inaccessible since Saturday when former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Chattha held a press conference and accused the chief election commissioner and chief justice of being involved in rigging the Feb 8 general elections.
Rights bodies and journalists’ organisations have condemned the muzzling of social media, while internet service providers have also lamented losses due to disruptions.
A day earlier, the United States called on Pakistan to lift social media restrictions. “We are concerned by any report of restrictions on freedom of association and expression in Pakistan, including the partial or complete government-imposed shutdowns on social media platforms,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
