In a significant development, Pakistan has reinstated the microblogging platform ‘X’ after a five-day outage. Formerly known as Twitter, the platform faced intermittent disruptions since February 17, sparking concerns and prompting legal action.
The restoration comes on the heels of a directive from the Sindh High Court, ordering the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to fully restore the services of ‘X’ across the entire country. This decision followed a petition filed by senior journalists, including Zarar Khuhro and Amber Shamsi, who sought legal intervention against the abrupt ban on the social media platform.
The disruption, which initially began on February 17, saw the platform’s services being reinstated on February 20, only to face another setback shortly thereafter. The PTA, under the court order, has now resolved the issues, bringing the social media site back online.
During the court proceedings, the counsel for the petitioners highlighted conflicting statements from government officials. While the interior minister claimed that no directive had been issued to ban ‘X,’ the IT Minister, Umar Saif, asserted that the IT sector had received a boost.
This incident has raised questions about the communication and decision-making processes within the Pakistani government regarding the regulation of social media platforms. The judiciary’s intervention underscores the importance of transparency and adherence to due process in such matters.
As ‘X’ resumes its operations in Pakistan, users and stakeholders are hopeful that the necessary measures will be taken to prevent similar disruptions in the future, ensuring a stable and open digital environment.
