KARACHI: According to a report in The News on Thursday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) informed the Sindh High Court that it disabled social media site X, formerly Twitter, across the country after getting instructions from the federal interior ministry.
According to the PTA, the ministry ordered the lockdown after receiving reports from intelligence services.
In response to petitions filed against the shutdown of internet cellular phone service on the day of the February 8 general elections, as well as the blockage of X, the telecommunications authority stated in court on Wednesday that its action did not violate Article 19-A of the Constitution; rather, it was in accordance with relevant laws.
The PTA further stated that the suspension of mobile cellular services for public safety, emergency, or security reasons was a policy decision that the court should not intervene with.
The authority claimed that the suspension of cellular phone service was carried out only in exceptional situations based on well-considered proposals from law enforcement agencies, regional governments, and intelligence agencies that were received and reviewed by the Interior Ministry.
