SHC CJ again orders restoration of internet services in country

Once again ordering the restoration of internet services in the country, the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday sought from the federal government reasons for the suspension of these services on the election day, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

During the hearing of a petition against suspension of the internet service in the country, SHC Chief Justice (CJ) Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi remarked, “Why do not you people distribute seats among yourselves instead of holding elections? Enough is enough. It will not go on like this. After all, when the internet will start functioning again.”

Counsel for the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) informed the court that it was on the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Information orders that the internet was shut down. “In fact, it was feared that the law and order situation might deteriorate if the internet remain functional,” he added.

The chief justice said how unfortunate it was that candidates were not even allowed to run their election campaigns on social media freely. “Then what is the use of holding elections?” he questioned.

Justice Mobeen Lakho inquired from the PTA’s lawyer as to what were the security threats that necessitated the closure of the internet?

The lawyer replied that the PTA was not told about the threats in detail.

Counsel for the federal government, on the other hand, said that the services were suspended on the recommendations of the provincial governments.

Addressing the Sindh government lawyer, the CJ asked whether the internet was closed on the provincial government’s order. The lawyer replied in negative, and sought from the court time to submit his reply.

The chief justice wondered as to why the court orders were not taken seriously.

Later, the court adjourned the case’s hearing until March 5.

It may be mentioned here that the social media platform X remained suspended across Pakistan for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday. The platform, formerly known as Twitter, was downed on Saturday night when a senior government official made a public admission of vote manipulation in the February 8 polls.

"X has been inaccessible in Pakistan (since Saturday), because it is used by the public to protest," Usama Khilji, a digital rights activist told AFP.

AFP staff reported that the app remained disrupted in the capital Islamabad as well as the mega cities of Lahore and Karachi on Tuesday. And, there was no sign of any resumption of the service on Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday also, the United States has emphasized the need for unrestricted internet access amid social media blockages in Pakistan.

While responding to a question during a news briefing in Washington on Tuesday, State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller expressed concern over the intermittent blockages of platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in Pakistan during recent days.  “I don’t have any updates on whether it’s something that’s been raised, but we always want to see full internet freedom around the world, and that includes the availability of platforms that people use to communicate with each other,” he said.

“I’ll just say as a general matter that we want that to – we want Internet platforms to … be available to people in Pakistan and around the world,” he continued. “And I don’t have anything further than that.”

Earlier, US Congressman Greg Casar has urged the US State Department to demand Pakistani authorities to restore access to social media platform X, which remains blocked in the country for the fourth day.

In a post on X, Casar said, “Pakistanis use Twitter to expose post-election interference. But now, Pakistani authorities are blocking Twitter access for the third straight day.”

“State Dept should demand authorities restore access to Twitter. Our allies should meet basic standards of free speech and democracy,” he added.

Reporter: Mumtaz Jamali