Federal Minister acknowledges ‘X’ ban as “not a good move”

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar stated his opposition to banning any social media platform during discussions with the media on Thursday.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader acknowledged that blocking the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) was not a “good move”. However, he justified the government’s action by pointing out the “extensive presence” of the banned terrorist outfit Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on X.

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Tarar laid the blame on the social media platforms, questioning why the companies have not established sub-offices in Pakistan despite government efforts to facilitate them. He stated the social media companies needed to set up offices in Pakistan, similar to regional offices in other countries.

X has remained inaccessible in Pakistan for over two months, following the general election on February 8. Banning social media platforms in Pakistan isn’t uncommon. YouTube and Facebook in past faced bans lasting several years.

Previously, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) attributed the months-long ban on social media platform X to directives from the federal interior ministry. The PTA pointed out its legal obligation to comply with government directives regarding platform accessibility. The regulatory authority said it was bound to act upon instructions recevied from the Interior Ministry via a letter.

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In March, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had summoned officers from the interior ministry to clarify the ban on social media platforms in the country.

The IHC Chief Justice had argued that social media platforms played an important role in facilitating information exchange among the public. He said that social media platforms can only be banned under specific laws. A ban requires clear, identifiable, and substantiated reasons to be enforced.