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- By Ashish Singh
- Wed, 17 Apr 2024 04:17 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Pakistani interior ministry has announced a temporary ban on the microblogging platform X for failing to respect the country's sovereignty and address concerns about potential misuse. The users were facing problems using the platform since February but the Pakistani government did not make any official confirmation.
On Wednesday, the interior ministry noted the shutdown in a formal petition to court. "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," according to a report by Reuters.
The Pakistani authorities stated that the micro-blogging platform was not ready to assist in resolving some critical issues. "The decision to impose a ban on Twitter/X in Pakistan was made in the interest of upholding national security, maintaining public order, and preserving the integrity of our nation", according to Dawn.
It stated that the decision was made after taking into account top-secret inputs from Pakistan's security and intelligence services. According to the report, "Hostile elements operating on Twitter/X have nefarious intentions to create an environment of chaos and instability, with the ultimate goal of destabilising the country and plunging it into some form of anarchy."
Why X Banned?
The Dawn further stated that X had not made any agreements to follow local laws and was not registered in Pakistan. It stated that the platform's "failure to establish a legal presence or engage in meaningful cooperation with Pakistani authorities underscores the need for regulatory measures to ensure accountability and adherence to national laws" .
The interior ministry further stated, "The ban on Twitter/X serves as a necessary step to address this regulatory vacuum and compel the platform to respect the sovereignty and legal jurisdiction of Pakistan," Dawn reported.
The report further stated that X had "not complied with the requests of Pakistani authorities" following multiple requests for "significant action to block accounts involved in a defamatory campaign against the honourable chief justice of Pakistan" sent by the Cyber Crime Wing (CCW) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) through the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
The interior ministry notified the Sindh High Court (SHC) on March 20 that the social media plaftorm had been shut in February while more instructions regarding intelligence agency reports were awaited.
The interior ministry eventually acknowledged the ban, days after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed that X was "already banned" when the new administration took over from the caretaker establishment and that there had been no official announcement for the clampdown.
The interior secretary was called in along with documentary evidence that supported the disruption of the social media app, after the IHC had previously dismissed a report on digital media outages.
Dawn reported on April 17 that the interior secretary had also been called by the court.
"Elections have concluded. Let's finish this now. Let the interior secretary come, then we will see. If the secretary is unable [to give reasons], then I will summon the prime minister," IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Aamer Farooq had warned.
Advocate Amna Ali represented the petitioner during the session, which was chaired by the IHC CJ. On behalf of the state, Munawar Iqbal Duggal, Additional Attorney General (AAG), was present.
The AAG told the court during the hearing that a report on the subject had been prepared by the interior ministry. According to Dawn, Justice Farooq then said that a new petition on the disturbance had been filed, on which he was sending letters to the respondents and requesting a response regarding the new plea.
The hearing was then postponed until May 2.
(With Agency Inputs)
