Censorship with impunity

March 26, 2024

KARACHI – X, FORMERLY known as Twitter, was blocked in Pakistan on Feb 17, 2024. It took more than a month and several petitions in high courts across the country for the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to finally admit, after blatantly distancing itself from the ban, that the PTA did indeed block X on the directions of the interior ministry. The PTA presented a document in the Sindh High Court that showed a letter from the interior ministry signed by a section officer of the Federal Investigation Agency, dated Feb 17; but the serial number, which also includes the date, is from Oct 25, 2023.

Here is a timeline of the denial pertaining to the blocking of X that Pakistani citizens faced until PTA’s much-needed but delayed transparency on March 20.

March 13, 2024: Asked when X would be unblocked, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar says X is working in Pakistan and “people are tweeting”, adding that he has not seen any notification banning it.

March 18, 2024: The information minister finally admits X is banned (something every X user knew since Feb 17, which is when it became accessible only via Virtual Private Networks), and says there is no notification on blocking it.

March 18, 2024: PTA spokesperson Malahat Obaid tells Dawn.com the following regarding the disruption of X: “We can’t say anything on this matter because we don’t know. Will share with you if any statement comes.” On being asked why the interior ministry should be approached regarding the ban, the spokesperson says that “because the instructions are from the government”, but does not answer, when asked, if the interior ministry had written to the PTA.

March 19, 2024: In an interview with Dawn.com, PTA chairperson retired Maj-Gen Hafeez