ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani interior ministry said on Thursday it had not yet made a decision regarding the restoration of social networking platform X, which has been suspended since Feb. 17.
The platform, formerly known as Twitter, was downed after jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party called for protests against a government official’s admission of vote manipulation in last month’s election, which was itself marred by a nationwide mobile network shutdown and delays in release of constituency results.
On Wednesday, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), which regulates the Internet, informed a high court in the Sindh province in writing that it had blocked X on the orders of the interior ministry.
“No decision yet,” Muhammad Rafiullah, an interior ministry spokesperson, told Arab News in response to a query about the restoration of X, declining further details.
A PTA spokesperson also said there was no update on the restoration of the social media platform that has around 4.5 million users in the South Asian nation of 241 million.
In its statement to the Sindh High Court on petitions filed against the disruption of X, the PTA admitted it had blocked the platform on the written instructions of the interior ministry, which sent a letter with the subject line, “Blockage of X (Twitter),” on Feb. 17, ordering it to shut the platform down on the same day.
“It is, therefore, requested that the social media platform i.e. X (formerly Twitter) may be blocked immediately till further orders,” the interior ministry’s letter to the PTA, which has been submitted in court, reads.
Abdul Moiz Jaferii, one of the petitioners in the case against the X blockade, said the letter produced in the court carried “no reasoning” for the suspension, and called it an “illegal direction” by the interior ministry.
“The restriction of X service in Pakistan is unreasonable and illegal, and a clear attempt to curtail fundamental rights of the people,” he told Arab News. “The court has taken up our plea because open-ended restriction of the service cannot be justified.”
Jaferii said the court had given “one more chance” to the government to explain its position and justify the ban as legal or else face an “an adverse order.”
The Sindh High Court will resume hearing the case on April 17.
The prolonged disruption of X has raised widespread concerns about democratic freedoms in the country, prompting 28 civil society organizations, including Amnesty International and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), to issue a joint statement of condemnation last week.
The disruption has also been condemned by the US administration which has repeatedly asked the government in Islamabad to lift “restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.”
Interior ministry says ‘no decision yet’ on restoration of X service in Pakistan
https://arab.news/bqekt
Interior ministry says ‘no decision yet’ on restoration of X service in Pakistan
- X suspended since Feb. 17 when a government official admitted to vote manipulation in last month’s election
- Pakistan Telecommunications has told Sindh High Court in writing it blocked X on orders of interior ministry
Pakistan says economy stabilizing as it looks to 2026 growth
- Inflation averages 5 percent, remittances hit $16.1 billion as government cites signs of recovery
- IT exports, industry and development spending highlighted as focus shifts to next year’s targets
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economy has shown signs of stabilization in the first half of the current fiscal year, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Thursday, as the government looks ahead to sustaining growth momentum into 2026 after several years of economic volatility.
Briefing the media on economic performance through November, Iqbal said key indicators including inflation, industrial output, exports, remittances and fiscal revenues had improved, creating what he described as a more stable base for forward planning.
Pakistan has spent much of the past two years navigating high inflation, external financing pressures and fiscal tightening under an IMF-backed reform program. While growth remains modest, officials say recent data suggests the economy has moved out of crisis mode and into a consolidation phase.
“During July to November of fiscal year 2025–26, stability has returned to Pakistan’s economy,” Iqbal said, adding that average inflation during the period stood at around 5 percent, compared with 7.9% last year, easing pressure on households and businesses.
Large-scale manufacturing posted growth of 4.1 percent, which Iqbal described as “clear evidence of recovery in industrial activity.”
The planning minister said government revenues also improved, with Federal Board of Revenue collections reaching Rs4,733 billion ($16.9 billion) during July–November, reflecting a 10.2% increase.
External inflows remained resilient, with workers’ remittances rising 9.3% to $16.1 billion, while IT services exports increased 19% to $1.8 billion over the same period, he said.
On the public investment side, Iqbal said Rs196 billion ($700 million) were released under the development budget during the quarter, of which Rs92 billion ($329 million) had already been spent. He added that cost rationalization in development projects between July and October saved Rs3.3 billion ($11.8 million) billion in public funds.
In November, the planning minister said, the Central Development Working Party approved 10 development projects, while six major schemes were referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.
Iqbal said the approved projects were expected to create 994 immediate jobs, with nearly 24,859 direct and 40,873 indirect employment opportunities projected overall.
Looking ahead, he said all future development schemes would be required to comply with green building codes to ensure environmental protection and sustainable growth.
He also highlighted skills and innovation initiatives, saying that under the “Uraan Pakistan” program, partnerships with Oxford and Cambridge universities were being pursued to promote research, technology and innovation.
Under an IT industry revival plan, he said more than 20,000 young people were being trained in advanced technologies, with over 14,000 new jobs expected to be created.
The government has said maintaining macroeconomic stability while gradually lifting growth remains its central challenge as Pakistan moves into 2026, with officials emphasising disciplined spending, export growth and job creation as key priorities.
