KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) urged the government on Thursday to reinstate social media network X, formerly known as Twitter, and enable uninterrupted access to the site across the country.
The development comes as SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi hears a plea filed by multiple petitioners, including Zarrar Khuhro, Amber Shamsi, Zebunnisa Burki, and others, against intermittent disruptions faced by users in accessing the renowned social media platform, which has experienced various “unannounced” sporadic suspensions in recent weeks.
During today’s session, the chief justice questioned who directed the suspension of the social media site.
“How long has [social media platform] X been down?” the court inquired.
The petitioner’s counsel informed the court that only the Pakistan Telecommunication right (PTA) has the right to suspend.
“PTA should be asked [to disclose] who issued the directives to suspend [social media site] X,” said the attorney representing the company.
The petition, which includes the state, Ministry of IT, and the PTA as parties to the case, highlighted that the disruptions were neither preceded by any kind of notice or indication by the PTA—which possesses the exclusive authority and ability to implement such restrictions of access at such a large-scale—nor the disruption of access was limited to any specific location or locations as the regulatory body imposed a blanket ban on access to X on a national scale, aff.
“The impugned activities of the PTA include the fact that the regulator operated in blatant contravention of the ovisions of the PTA Act, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (“PECA 2016″), and the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules, 2021 (the “Removal Rules”). These laws and rules mandate that the PTA must act within a narrowly defined set of exceptions when determining whether it is necessary to disrupt the flow or dissemination of any online content or information,” the petition read.
The petition, which lamented the infringement of rights under Articles 19, 19-A, and 18 of the Constitution, requested that the court order the authorities to restore public access to X and any other platforms that had been subjected to similar limitations.
