ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices on Tuesday to the Ministry of Information and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) regarding the suspension of social media site X, previously known as Twitter, in the country.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard a petition challenging the closure of X, which has been largely inaccessible in Pakistan since February 17, with users resorting to VPNs to access the platform.
During the hearing, Justice Farooq inquired about the status of X, to which the petitioner’s lawyer confirmed its closure since February 17.
Further questioning revealed that a similar case was pending before the Sindh High Court (SHC) related to contempt of court, with a hearing scheduled for today.
In response, Justice Farooq said that he was issuing notices for the next week.
A similar petition was filed in the SHC last month, where authorities were directed to restore access to social media platform X across the country.
SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi issued the directives following a plea by multiple petitioners against intermittent disruptions in accessing the platform.
Ahead of the February 8 general elections, users faced difficulties accessing several social media sites, initially attributed to technical errors by authorities. However, on polling day, internet services were shut down for security reasons by the caretaker government. Subsequently, users experienced continued disruptions in accessing X.
