Govt tells SHC ban on X does not violate Article 19 of Constitution

KARACHI: The federal government, in its response to the Sindh High Court (SHC) regarding the suspension of the social media platform X, stated that the action does not violate Article 19 of the Constitution as all necessary legal prerequisites were met.

The Interior Ministry’s response, submitted on Monday, emphasized that while Article 19 guarantees the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression, it is subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interests of public order, morality, sovereignty, and the integrity of Pakistan.

This response follows several petitions filed in the SHC challenging the ongoing ban on the social media site, along with intermittent internet service suspensions.

Social media users have faced difficulties accessing X and other platforms recently due to government-imposed bans and restrictions citing security concerns, a move often criticized by opposition parties and various societal groups.

Previously, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) informed the SHC that it blocked X on February 8 nationwide following directives from the federal interior ministry, based on intelligence agency reports. The last hearing of the case was on June 28.

In its court submission, the interior ministry argued that banning X is a legitimate exercise of government authority to regulate social media platforms, addressing national security and public safety concerns.

The ministry noted that hateful content targeting the country’s institutions is often uploaded on X, and without a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the company, the government had no choice but to impose a temporary ban based on security agency reports.

The government contended that certain elements aim to destabilize the country through X, recalling similar bans on TikTok and other platforms in the past. It requested the court to dismiss the constitutional petitions, arguing that the petitioners lack locus standi and that none of their rights have been infringed.

Additionally, the government is implementing a national firewall on various internet service providers (ISPs) to filter and block unwanted content on social media.

According to a report from a newspaper on June 7, this firewall will inspect information from different internet protocol addresses, identifying and blocking propaganda material at its source.

An official stated that the firewall aims to locate the origins of such propaganda and diminish the coverage of those accounts.

The firewall will include a keyword filtering system to detect content deemed undesirable or prejudicial to national security.

Posts containing such content will be camouflaged and made invisible to outside users. This filter will apply to social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and X.

Additionally, preparations are underway to prevent the misuse of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), with potential regulations requiring citizens to inform the PTA about their VPN use, with penalties for non-compliance.