ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government on Monday said it had imposed a “legitimate” ban on social media platform X, which was aimed at addressing national security concerns.
The statement was part of the interior ministry’s written response submitted to the Sindh High Court (SHC) with regard to a number of petitions filed against the ban and intermittent suspension of Internet services.
Authorities have blocked X, formerly known as Twitter, since February 17 after protests swept the South Asian country over allegations of vote rigging in a general election held earlier that month.
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.
But the interior ministry in its response said the ban did not contravene Article 19 of the constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of speech and expression.
“The decision to impose a ban on Twitter/X is a legitimate exercise of the Government’s authority to regulate the use of social media platforms,” the ministry said.
“It is aimed at addressing genuine concerns related to national security and public safety, and it is undertaken with due consideration for the overarching goal of promoting responsible and lawful communication in our society.”
Pakistani authorities have long struggled to regulate social media content through different legislations, prompting critics to accuse them of trying to quell dissent.
In May this year, the government established the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 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.