The Ministry of Interior in Pakistan disclosed on Wednesday that it had restricted access to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, around the time of the February election due to national security apprehensions, affirming long-held suspicions of a shutdown.
Reports of users encountering difficulties accessing X in Pakistan emerged since mid-February, although the government had not formally acknowledged the issue until now. The interior ministry acknowledged the shutdown in a written submission to the Islamabad High Court. Abdul Moiz Jafri, a petitioner and advocate, revealed that another court had instructed the government to review the ban within a week.
In its court submission, the ministry pointed out the failure of X to comply with lawful directives from the government and address concerns regarding platform misuse as the rationale behind the ban. The ministry's report, obtained by Reuters, cited X's reluctance to resolve the issue. However, X did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on the matter.
The ministry emphasized that the decision to impose the ban was in the interest of national security, public order maintenance, and the preservation of the nation's integrity. Access to X has remained restricted since the national election on February 8, which the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan alleges was rigged.
Khan's party heavily relies on social media platforms for communication, particularly after traditional media outlets began censoring news about Khan and his party before the polls. With over 20 million followers, Khan is the most followed Pakistani on X. He asserts that Pakistan's military orchestrated his removal from the prime minister's office in 2022 and aided his opponents in forming the current government, despite his party winning the majority of seats in the February election. The military refutes these allegations.
Khan remains incarcerated on multiple convictions, most of which were handed down days before the election. Despite the ban, many government officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, purportedly continue to utilize X, likely through VPN software to circumvent the restrictions.
The decision to temporarily block X was made after reviewing confidential reports from Pakistan's intelligence and security agencies, according to the ministry report. It alleges that "hostile elements" on X aim to foment chaos and instability, ultimately seeking to destabilize the country.
Rights groups and marketing advertisers have expressed concerns about the ban. Digital rights activist Usama Khilji suggested that the block on X aims to impede democratic accountability facilitated by real-time information updates, particularly amid allegations and evidence of election rigging.
Marketing consultant Saif Ali highlighted the challenge of persuading Pakistani advertisers to invest in Twitter for brand communications due to governmental throttling of the platform.