KARACHI: A high court in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province observed on Tuesday that prima facie, social media was being “managed” in the South Asian country, amid a weeks-long disruption in service of X and complaints about slow Internet speed.
The remarks by the chief justice of the Sindh High Court (SHC) came during hearing of multiple petitions filed in the court with regard to the disruption of X and slow Internet in the country.
X first went down on Feb. 17 when a senior government official publicly confessed to manipulating results of Feb. 8 general election in a few constituencies. Since then, netizens have experienced sporadic disruptions in X service.
In its response to the petitions, a lawyer representing the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) said they did not have the equipment to slow down the Internet, while the interior and telecom ministries sought more time to submit their replies.
“Prima facie, social media is being managed, but who is doing it will also come out,” Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi said, in his remarks during the hearing.
“People listen to journalists who can’t say something on national TV (television) due to some reasons and express their opinions through social media, and this happens across the world.”
The court served notices to PTA chairman and other officials on lawyer Jibran Nasir’s petition seeking contempt of court proceedings against the PTA chief over his failure to improve X and Internet services.
The hearing of the case was adjourned till March 20.
Pakistan’s national election last month was marred by a mobile Internet shutdown on the election day and unusually delayed results, leading to widespread accusations that it was rigged.
Several political parties, including former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and candidates have since held protest demonstrations against the results. In recent weeks, the disruption in X service was observed on a number of occasions when protests were called by political parties against alleged vote manipulation.
The disruption has raised widespread concerns about the state of democratic freedoms in Pakistan, with the United States and several international organizations urging authorities to provide unhindered Internet access and leading digital rights activists calling the blockade a “blatant violation” of civil liberties.
Amid X disruption, court says prima facie social media being ‘managed’ in Pakistan
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Amid X disruption, court says prima facie social media being ‘managed’ in Pakistan
- X first went down on Feb. 17 when an official confessed to manipulating Feb. 8 vote results
- Since then, netizens have experienced sporadic disruptions in X service amid political protests
Saudi defense delegation visits Pakistan’s foreign office for diplomatic briefing
- Delegation briefed on Pakistan’s foreign policy priorities and bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia
- Visit reflects close defense cooperation, including a bilateral security pact signed last year
ISLAMABAD: A Saudi defense delegation visited Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Friday to learn about Islamabad’s diplomatic priorities and engagements as the two countries strengthen security collaboration and consult more closely on regional and international issues.
The visit comes amid sustained high-level engagement between Islamabad and Riyadh, with regular contacts spanning defense, diplomacy and economic cooperation.
A 15-member delegation from the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Command and Staff College met officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said an official statement.
“The visit of the delegation to Pakistan is a manifestation of excellent defense and security relations between the two countries,” the foreign ministry said.
It added that officials briefed the delegation on Pakistan’s foreign policy issues and bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia, followed by an interactive session.
The head of the delegation thanked Pakistani authorities for facilitating the visit, the statement said.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia maintain close defense and security cooperation, including training exchanges and joint exercises.
In September last year, the two countries signed a bilateral security agreement under which aggression against one would be treated as a threat to the other.
While Saudi diplomats are regular visitors to the Pakistani foreign ministry, such visits by defense delegations are rare, reflecting that the two sides seek to understand each other’s defense and diplomatic perspectives more closely.
