Plea filed for restoration of internet service

A writ petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking directions to the relevant authorities for the restoration of cellular internet service and the resumption of operation of all social media platforms.

The court is requested to declare the imposed blockage as arbitrary, illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional, as it amounts to depriving the public of their basic rights.

The petition was filed by Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi, the petitioner, naming the Federation of Pakistan through the Secretary of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Pakistan Telecomm-unication through its Chairman, CM Pak Limited through its CEO, Pakistan Telecom Mobile Limited, and others as respondents.

The petitioner argues in the petition that on May 9, the Chairman of the PTI and former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, was arrested, following which widespread protests erupted across the country and the internet service was blocked.

He pleads with the court, stating that it is a well-settled principle of law that access to information on matters of public importance is the foundation of a representative democracy and the accountability of elected representatives. The superior judiciary of Pakistan has upheld the principle of maximum disclosure by asserting that "as a rule, information should be disclosed, and claiming privilege should be an exception based on justifiable grounds."

The petitioner argues that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has emphasized that access to information is a justiciable right of the people and has further stressed that all information of public importance should be made available to the general public.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2023.