The ban on X was originally placed back in February following election fraud allegations by a senior government official.
X is now finally accessible in Pakistan. Social media platform Twitter, now known as X, has become accessible once again in Pakistan following a 7-month ban, confirmed a PTA lawyer to the Sindh High Court.
The lawyer announced that the letter that originally sought the ban of X back in February has now been withdrawn, which is why the social network has been unbanned. The Sindh High Court demanded PTA’s stance on the matter after which the lawyer clarified the government’s position regarding X access.
As it stands, it is currently unclear whether access to X has been permanently restored or whether it will be banned again. The court adjourned the hearing of other petitions regarding X’s closure for two weeks
The ban on X was originally placed back in February following election fraud allegations by a senior government official.
In the lead-up to Pakistan’s February 8 general elections, citizens faced significant challenges accessing popular social media platforms. Officials attributed these disruptions to technical errors. However, on election day itself, the caretaker government implemented a complete internet shutdown, citing terrorism prevention as the justification.
In the aftermath of the polls, users continued to experience intermittent access issues, particularly with the platform X (formerly Twitter).
These restrictions raised concerns about potential violations of fundamental rights enshrined in Pakistan’s constitution. Specifically, such shutdowns appear to conflict with Article 19-A (freedom of information), Article 19 (freedom of speech), and Article 17 (freedom of association). Critics argued that these actions undermine the democratic process and citizens’ ability to freely access and share information during a critical period.
