IHC issues notice to PTA, information ministry over closure of X in Pakistan

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Ministry of Information over the closure of social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took up a plea filed by a citizen challenging the restriction on X across the country.

Lawyers Sardar Masroof and Amna Ali appeared before the court on behalf of the petitioner.

During the hearing, Justice Farooq asked if X was down

The petitioner’s lawyer told the court that X had been closed in Pakistan since February 17.

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“This matter was also before the Sindh High Court, what happened to it?” Justice Farooq inquired.

The lawyer informed the court that the SHC will hear a petition related to contempt of court today.

Justice Farooq said that the court was issuing notices for the next week.

Ehtisham Abbasi, a resident of Islamabad, filed a petition on Monday and named the information ministry and the PTA as the respondents in the case.

It is pertinent to mention here that Sindh High Court (SHC) Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi on February 21 ordered the PTI to immediately restore internet services in the country.

The SHC issued the orders as it was hearing a case about the shutdown of internet service and social media platforms where the issue of restriction on internet services on Election Day was also discussed.

Microblogging site X has been closed in Pakistan since February 17 and users across the country are reportedly using Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access the site.