ISLAMABAD: X remained restricted in Pakistan on Friday as a ban on the social media platform entered fourth month, according to netizens.
Authorities have blocked X, formerly known as Twitter, since Feb. 17 after protests swept the country over allegations of vote rigging in a general election.
Digital rights activists and rights groups have described the shutdown, either partial or full, as a “violation” of civil liberties in the South Asian nation of more than 241 million.
“This ban continues at a time when the government has announced legislative proposals to further restrict digital freedoms,” Amnesty International, a global human rights watchdog, said on X.
Pakistani authorities have long struggled to regulate social media content through different legislations, prompting critics to accuse them of trying to quell dissent. Earlier this month, the government notified a National Cybercrimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to probe electronic crimes, making digital rights activists describe it as yet another official attempt to stifle criticism online.
The NCCIA was approved by the caretaker government of Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar last year to take over cybercrime investigations from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
While the government says the move was meant to protect digital rights of millions of users, encourage responsible Internet use and prevent hate speech and disinformation, digital rights activists say successive governments have drafted new laws or amended old ones to curb online dissent and file criminal charges against journalists and activists to restrict freedom of speech and expression.
“The Government of Pakistan must uphold the right to freedom of expression and restore access to the platform [X] immediately,” Amnesty International added.
X ban enters fourth month in Pakistan
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X ban enters fourth month in Pakistan
- Pakistan has long struggled to regulate social media through different legislations, prompting critics to accuse it of trying to quell dissent
- The Government of Pakistan must ‘uphold the right to freedom of expression,’ restore access to X immediately, Amnesty International says
At ECO meeting, Pakistan proposes ‘Regional Innovation Hub’ to curb natural disasters
- Pakistan hosts high-level 10th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction in Islamabad
- Innovation hub to focus on early warning technologies, risk informed infrastructure planning
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has proposed to set up a “Regional Innovation Hub on Disaster Risk Reduction” that focuses on early warning technologies and risk informed infrastructure planning, the Press Information Department (PID) said on Wednesday, as Islamabad hosts a high-level meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).
The ECO’s 10th Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is being held from Jan. 21-22 at the headquarters of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in Pakistan’s capital.
The high-level regional forum brings together ministers, and senior officials from ECO member states, representatives of the ECO Secretariat and regional and international partner organizations. The event is aimed to strengthen collective efforts toward enhancing disaster resilience across the ECO region, the PID said.
“Key agenda items include regional cooperation on early warning systems, disaster risk information management, landslide hazard zoning, inclusive disaster preparedness initiatives, and Pakistan’s proposal to establish a Regional Innovation Hub on Disaster Risk Reduction, focusing on early warning technologies, satellite data utilization, and risk-informed infrastructure planning,” the statement said.
The meeting was attended by delegations from ECO member states including Pakistan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Representatives of regional and international organizations and development partners were also in attendance.
Discussions focused on enhancing regional coordination, harmonizing disaster risk reduction frameworks, and strengthening collective preparedness against transboundary and climate-induced hazards impacting the ECO region, the PID said.
ECO members states such as Pakistan, Türkiye, Afghanistan and others have faced natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes in recent years that have killed tens of thousands of people.
Heavy rains triggered catastrophic floods in Pakistan in 2022 and 2025 that killed thousands of people and caused damages to critical infrastructure, inflicting losses worth billions of dollars.
Islamabad has since then called on regional countries to join hands to cooperate to avert future climate disasters and promote early warning systems to avoid calamities in future.
