Pak telecom authority lawyers disagree on X ban status
Sep 13, 2024
Karachi [Pakistan], September 13 : On Tuesday, two lawyers representing the telecom regulator presented conflicting views in the Sindh High Court about whether social media platform X has been restored.
The hearing, conducted by a two-judge bench including Chief Justice Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Omar Sial, addressed petitions challenging the suspension of mobile and internet services and the ban on X that has been in place since February, Dawn reported.
At the start of the hearing, Ahsan Imam Rizvi, one of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority's (PTA) lawyers, informed the court that the ban on X had been "withdrawn." In contrast, Abdul Moiz Jaferii, representing the petitioners, argued that the platform remained inaccessible. The judges enquired if the withdrawal of the notification implied that access to X had been restored, reported Dawn.
Saad Siddiqui, another PTA lawyer involved in a related case, stated he was unaware of any notification withdrawal. The judges noted the discrepancy, highlighting that while one PTA lawyer was aware of the withdrawal, another was not.
The bench then granted time for the PTA and other respondents to clarify their stance on the matter and postponed the hearing for two weeks, with a written order expected to be issued on Friday.
Following the hearing, petitioner's lawyer Abdul Moiz Jaferii informed reporters that X was still unreachable, and the accuracy of the PTA lawyer's claim would be verified in the next session. The court is reviewing multiple petitions, including those from journalists and academics seeking X's restoration, and a petition from lawyer Jibran Nasir addressing the suspension of mobile internet and broadband services on election day.
Two similar petitions were also filed last year by the Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan and other petitioners, as per the report by Dawn.
On Thursday, the information technology minister reported to the Senate that X had been blocked following directives from the interior ministry. Shaza Fatima Khawaja explained that the PTA's web management system was utilised to enforce the block on X, as per the ministry's orders.
She added that this system, established under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, is routinely updated and used to block illicit traffic and objectionable content, while also hinting at VPN use to bypass blocks.
