The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the federal government and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to restore access to social media platforms in Pakistan, including X, formerly known as Twitter. X has been inaccessible in the country for the past four days.
The SHC bench, headed by Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, issued the directive in response to a petition challenging the recent “unconstitutional” internet disruptions across the country. The court discussed various issues during the hearing, including the imposition of internet service restrictions on election day.
Justice Abbasi, during the hearing of a petition filed by rights activist Advocate Jibran Nasir regarding the suspension of internet and social media services, asked the PTA lawyer, “When will you restore the internet?” The PTA counsel stated that the authority had acted on directives from the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, justifying the restriction of internet services due to concerns over the prevailing law and order situation in the country.
The court has also requested a report from the PTA on the suspension of internet services on election day. Notices have been issued to the federal government, and the hearing has been adjourned until March 5th.
Access to X has been disrupted in Pakistan for several days following Commissioner Rawalpindi’s admission of helping rig the general elections. He admitted to “personally supervising” the manipulation of over 70,000 votes, changing winners into losers overnight, and stated that he would surrender to the police.
