KARACHI:The Federal Ministry of Interior has defended the ban imposed on the social media website X, formerly known as Twitter, in Pakistan, calling it a measure for national security.
The Ministry of Interior submitted its reply to the Sindh High Court in the X ban case, stating that hateful content against the country’s institutions was being uploaded on X, necessitating the ban.
The ministry emphasized that the ban is in place for national security and to uphold the country’s dignity. They argued that the ban does not violate the fundamental constitutional right to freedom of expression, citing Article 19, which states that freedom of expression is subject to the observance of laws.
“This ban has been imposed in light of the report from intelligence agencies, which said that some elements on X (formerly Twitter) instigate instability in the country,” the reply said.
According to the ministry, all legal requirements were met before implementing the ban. They noted that X is a foreign company that has repeatedly been asked to comply with Pakistan’s laws but has not signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the country.
The ministry stated that it had no option but to temporarily close X and requested that the petition against the ban be rejected.
Earlier, Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar expressed his opposition to banning any social media platform during discussions with the media. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader acknowledged that blocking the social media platform X was not a “good move,” but justified the government’s action by highlighting the “extensive presence” of the banned terrorist outfit Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on X.
