Pakistan justifies year-long ban on X, cites national security concerns

Pakistan's Interior Ministry has defended its year-long ban on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, citing national security concerns and the platform's alleged failure to comply with local laws, according to a government document obtained by Nukta on Monday.

The document reveals that Pakistan blocked access to X (formerly Twitter) on February 17, 2024, following the country's general elections, after intelligence officials claimed foreign agencies were using the platform to "spread false propaganda and hate material against state institutions."

The Interior Ministry has taken full responsibility for recommending the ban, which was implemented nine days after the February 8, 2024 general elections.

Security agencies cited post-election threats

"Intelligence Bureau (IB), Islamabad reported on 17 February 2024 that in the post General Elections 2024 scenario, Hostile Intelligence Agencies (HIAs) through their tentacles and other anti-state elements are exploiting Social Media applications, particularly X, for spreading false propaganda and hate material against state institutions to incite violence and chaos," the document states.

According to the Interior Ministry document, these elements intended "to create an environment where things may get out of control and plunge the country into some sort of anarchy." It further claims that "X has consistently been used by anti-state elements or miscreants in the past as well as to incite violence and weaken the writ of state."

The Intelligence Bureau recommended "immediate precautionary steps including temporarily restricting X and ancillary Virtual Private Network (VPN) services in Pakistan till the platform complies with provisions of relevant laws/rules in Pakistan, or at least till normalcy is resorted in the country," the document reveals.

Following this recommendation, the Ministry of Interior requested the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on February 17, 2024, "to block the social media platform X immediately until further orders."

Officials deny free speech targeting

In December last year, Minister of State Shaza Fatima Khawaja rejected claims that the ban targets free speech, noting that more popular platforms remain accessible.

"It is said that perhaps the X block is due to free speech, which is a wrong impression. If this were the case, then Facebook and TikTok have the highest users in Pakistan, so they would have been banned first," Khawaja stated.

The Minister added that X usage in Pakistan represents less than 2% of social media users, suggesting that if free speech were the government's concern, "the ban would have been imposed on Facebook and TikTok, not X."

The Interior Ministry document elaborates that X has "neither registered in Pakistan nor has signed any Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or agreement to abide by the local laws of Pakistan." The ministry argues that "as a foreign entity operating in Pakistan, X is subject to the regulatory framework of the country, including compliance with legal directives issued by the Government of Pakistan."

Government claims platform failed to cooperate

"X's failure to establish a legal presence or engage in meaningful cooperation with Pakistani authorities underscores the need for regulatory measures to ensure accountability and adherence to national laws," the document continues. "The ban on Twitter/X serves as a necessary step to address this regulatory vacuum and compel the platform to respect the sovereignty and legal jurisdiction of Pakistan."

The document details extensive efforts by the Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to address concerns about content on the platform. The agency "has forwarded numerous requests to X authorities via the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), urging significant action to block accounts involved in a defamatory campaign against the state institutions."

However, the Interior Ministry claims that X "has not complied with the requests of Pakistani authorities rather demonstrated a lack of responsiveness to Pakistan's concerns regarding offensive material uploaded on their platform or trends that undermine the sovereignty and dignity of Pakistan."

The document notes that the Cyber Crime Wing "has initiated several FIRs against hundreds of X accounts" and presents this as "evidence demonstrates that X authorities are not adhering to local authorities and laws in Pakistan".

"This lack of cooperation from X authorities in addressing content that violates Pakistani laws and values further justifies the need for regulatory measures, including the temporary ban on X," the document states.

The Interior Ministry concludes that "the Government of Pakistan has no alternative but to temporarily block access/suspend the operation of this platform within Pakistan." It also notes that writ petitions challenging the ban are currently pending before the Islamabad, Sindh, and Lahore High courts, where the Ministry has submitted its responses.

Pakistan has previously temporarily blocked social media platforms during periods of political unrest, but the current restriction on X represents one of the country's longest-running social media bans.