KARACHI
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday withdrew the suspension on TikTok services after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) assured the court of issuing a ruling on the petitioner’s request by Monday. Earlier on June 28, the SHC ordered the PTA to suspend the services of the video-sharing site on a citizen’s petition, who was aggrieved by the “immorality and obscenity” on the mobile app. During Friday’s hearing, the PTA apprised the court that it has blocked access to the app on June 30. It requested the court to review its decision and allow it to restore the services. The PTA counsel assured the court that it would expedite the process on the petitioner’s request and issue a ruling on it by July 5.
Presenting his arguments in the court, the petitioner’s lawyer said the Peshawar High Court had earlier banned TikTok as some videos uploaded on the platform are “immoral and against the teachings of Islam.” The lawyer said his client had approached the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) before moving the court; however, the PTA did not do anything in this regard.
After hearing the arguments, the SHC withdrew the suspension order and directed the PTA to make a decision on the matter till then.
The hearing was then adjourned till next Monday.
It is pertinent to mention that TikTok was blocked for the third time in the past 12 months due to the content shared on the mobile app. It was earlier banned in April by the Peshawar High Court on the same grounds. The PTA had also taken action against TikTok in October and blocked access to it.
