In a significant development, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to completely restore the services of social media platform X throughout the country, as reported by Dawn.
X has remained inaccessible in various parts of Pakistan for the sixth consecutive day, with disruptions reported in Rawalpindi, Karachi, Gujranwala, Lahore, and other cities, according to the monitoring website Downdetector.
During Thursday’s hearing, SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi instructed the PTA to ensure uninterrupted restoration of X’s services across the nation, as per Dawn.
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The directive came in response to a petition filed by senior journalists through Advocate Abdul Moiz Jaferii, contending that blocking access to X violated Article 19 and 19-A of the Constitution and was unlawful and arbitrary.
According to Dawn, the petition named the PTA, Interior Ministry, and Information Ministry as respondents.
Inaccessible since February 17
X has been inaccessible since February 17, 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.
Various rights bodies, journalists’ organisations, and internet service providers have criticised the restrictions on social media, highlighting the losses incurred due to disruptions.
The United States also urged Pakistan to lift social media restrictions, expressing concern over any limitations on freedom of association and expression.
During Thursday’s hearing, Advocate Jafferi noted that the interior ministry denied issuing directives for X’s suspension, while the IT ministry highlighted the flourishing state of the information technology sector in Pakistan.
Justice Abbasi questioned the authority behind the suspension orders, to which Jafferi emphasized that only the PTA holds the authority to suspend or slow down X’s services.
The lawyer further highlighted that journalists and others who used X for financial purposes were suffering due to the disruptions, adding that the suspension also hindered the provision of advertisements to Palestine and information regarding the situation in Gaza.
“For how many days has X been suspended for?” the judge asked. He also recalled that the court had earlier issued directives for uninterrupted access to the internet and social media platforms.
However, Jafferi highlighted that his petition was different, adding that disruptions to the services of X began the day the former Rawalpindi commissioner’s statement pertaining to alleged rigging emerged.
The SHC directed the PTA to fully restore X and requested detailed responses from the respondents in the upcoming hearing.
The petition underscored that the PTA’s actions invaded fundamental rights and violated laws governing telecommunications regulation in the country.
It called for immediate restoration of public access to X and urged permanent restraint on arbitrary restrictions, in line with applicable laws and the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973.
The SHC’s directive marks a crucial step towards upholding freedom of speech and expression in Pakistan’s digital landscape.