SHC tells govt to must reply on X closure by April 17

Court warns that interior secretary will be summoned in person if response not received

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed the interior ministry to submit its response under any circumstances at the next hearing on April 17 on a petition filed against blocking access to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in the country.

A two-member bench headed by SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi heard the plea.

The petitioner's counsel told the court that the response of the interior ministry had not been received yet.

The SHC chief justice remarked that it was not a long answer that the ministry had to come up with. “How much time does it take to write down four lines?” he added.

He continued that the petitioner should try to obtain the ministry’s response as soon as possible.

Advocate Abdul Moiz Jaferii told the court that by chance after coming to the court, he had found out that X was accessible.

The SHC chief justice warned that the ministry should submit it reply as soon as possible otherwise the court would summon the interior secretary in person.

Also read: SHC orders restoration of social media apps

The court adjourned the hearing till April 17 while directing the interior ministry to submit its reply at the next hearing.

A day earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the country needed better laws to regulate internet free speech, as disruption of X stretched into its fifth week.

"Expression is fine, but making false allegations against people is wrong -- it's happening and needs to be fixed. We must reassess our own laws and look into what is being misused," he told the media.

On Monday, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar acknowledged that X was indeed suspended in Pakistan.

“When we came into power, Twitter [now X] was already banned,” Tarar said during a conversation with a private media outlet.

“There was no official notification for it. But obviously, everyone can see that its frequency and signal are not functioning normally, and it is being accessed through VPNs. This is indeed true.”

“I want us to create a [social media] charter on the dos and don’ts, identifying the red lines that should not be crossed,” he added. “And political parties should formally discuss this. Accusations against women, foul language, indecency and disrespect are common. The sacrifices of martyrs are mocked. So, there is a need to create this charter. I believe it would be good if this charter is established.”

While answering a question about Tarar’s acknowledgement of the closure, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Major General (retd) Hafeezur Rehman said his organisation had not received any written order from the interior ministry for the blocking access to X.

The prolonged disruption of X raised widespread concerns about democratic freedoms in the country.

A total of 28 civil society organisations, including Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, issued a joint statement of condemnation last week.

(With input from our News Desk in Karachi)