In February, Pakistan officially confirmed the temporary blockage of social media platform X due to national security concerns. Users in Pakistan have been experiencing difficulties accessing the platform since mid-February, coinciding with protests following allegations of election rigging made by the jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party.
The confirmation of the platform’s shutdown came from Pakistan’s interior ministry, revealed in a court submission on Wednesday. The ministry stated that the ban was imposed because X failed to comply with lawful directives from the Pakistani government and did not adequately address concerns regarding the misuse of its platform.
According to Reuters, “It is very pertinent to mention here that the failure of Twitter/X to adhere to the lawful directives of the government of Pakistan and address concerns regarding the misuse of its platform necessitated the imposition of a ban,”
In response to the ban, a Pakistan high court has directed the government to restore access to X within one week after more than two months of disruption. Moiz Jaaferi, a lawyer involved in challenging the ban, informed AFP that the Sindh High Court set the deadline for the government to withdraw its directive, with the implication of further legal actions if the ban is not lifted within the specified timeframe.