Daily Times

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday directed the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) to restore social media platforms including X across Pakistan, a lawyer who had filed a petition against the ongoing blockade said.

The platform X was disrupted across Pakistan for a fourth day on Wednesday, after a general election marred by allegations of rigging. It first went down on Saturday night when a senior government official made a public admission of vote manipulation in the February 8 polls. “Today, the Sindh High Court issued directions to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to promptly restore access to all social media platforms, including X, following our petition challenging the Internet and social media shutdown,” lawyer Jibran Nasir told Arab News. “The Court not only expressed displeasure at the violation of its orders but also raised concerns about the conduct of elections and the suppression of post-election controversies through the blocking of social media access.”

PTA spokesperson Malahat Obaid and Information Minister Murtaza Solangi both declined comment, saying the interior ministry should be contacted. An interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to phone calls or messages seeking comment.

On Tuesday, Internet observatory Netblocks said X had been restricted in Pakistan “past the 72 hour mark.”

“The incident is the longest of several Internet censorship measures tracked through the election period,” the body said.

Mobile Internet services were cut across the country on polling day, with the interior ministry citing security reasons.

The blackout, coupled with a long delay in issuing results, gave rise to allegations of rigging from multiple parties, particularly jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party which called for nationwide protests.

In Washington, the State Department said it supported the right to Internet access without commenting on whether the United States has raised the issue with Pakistan.

“As a general matter, we want Internet platforms to be available to people in Pakistan and around the world,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. PTI defied a months-long crackdown that restricted its campaigning and forced candidates to run as independents, with PTI-backed candidates gaining more seats than any other party.

But it has been unwilling to enter a coalition with its opponents, paving the way for the PML-N and PPP parties to form the next government. PTI also faced online censorship in the build up to the election.

Pakistani Internet freedom watchdog Bytes For All recorded four separate hours-long social media shutdowns in January, cutting off access to TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube while Khan’s PTI live-streamed to its supporters.