ISLAMABAD
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Hafeezur Rehman said on Thursday that they would lift the ban on X, formerly known as Twitter, whenever the government asked them to do so. Rehman made the statement during a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat which Rana Mahmoodul Hasan chaired in Islamabad. The social media platform has been suspended in Pakistan since February 17 due to national security concerns. However, it can be accessed through a virtual private network (VPN).
Following the ban, various petitions were filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the restrictions on microblogging site and intermittent suspension of internet services in the country.
Last month, the federal government defended the ban on X in its response submitted to the SHC, saying that the move was “legitimate” when it came to addressing national security concerns.
The matter also came under discussion today during the Senate body meeting when Senator Abdul Qadir asked whether the telecom regulator plans on removing the ban from the website.
“We will [remove the ban on X] on the day that the government asks us,” said Rehman.
The chairman informed the lawmakers that only 7% of the complaints forwarded to the platform in the last three months have been addressed, and that X has the lowest compliance ratio among all platforms.
Rehman explained that they only block social media platforms at the government’s request. He added that they reach out to the platforms about any complaints related to social media that violate Pakistani law.
