ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Friday questioned the country's telecommunications authority over the new social media rules that are said to be in conflict with the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech in the country.
Taking up a petition filed by the Pakistan Bar Council, Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah said these rules seemed to discourage criticism and accountability.
The government notified the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguard) Rules, 2020, last month, making several digital rights activists claim that it was trying to silence dissenting voices.
The new rules require social media companies to block access to "unlawful online content" within 24 hours — or in emergency cases, within six hours — after such material is reported by a government authority.
The new rules also maintain that an internet service provider or social media company can face a fine of up to Rs500 million ($3.14 million) for noncompliance.
Such provisions prompted global internet companies to warn last month that they would be unable to operate in the country under the new social media rules.
Justice Minallah called criticism the essence of democracy during Friday's hearing, adding that such rules reflected a mindset that did not accept that reality.
He asked the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to convince the court that the new regulations were not against Articles 19 and 19(A) of the constitution that guarantee freedom of speech and expression in the country during the next hearing on December 18.
