Pakistan’s interior ministry said on Wednesday it blocked access to social media platform X in February on national security concerns, confirming a long-suspected shutdown.
Users have reported problems using X, formerly known as Twitter, in Pakistan since mid-February, but the government has made no official announcements.
The interior ministry mentioned the shutdown in a written court submission on Wednesday.
“It is very pertinent to mention here that the failure of Twitter/X to adhere to the lawful directives of the government of Pakistan and address concerns regarding the misuse of its platform necessitated the imposition of a ban,” said the report, seen by Reuters.
It said Islamabad took up the issues with X, which demonstrated a reluctance to resolve them. X did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Wednesday.
“The decision to impose a ban on Twitter/X in Pakistan was made in the interest of upholding national security, maintaining public order, and preserving the integrity of our nation,” the report said.
The decision was taken after considering confidential reports from Pakistan’s intelligence and security agencies, it said.
The report said “hostile elements operating on Twitter/X have nefarious intentions to create an environment of chaos and instability, with the ultimate goal of destabilizing the country and plunging it into some form of anarchy.”
Must Restore X
While on the other hand, a Pakistan High Court said the government must restore social media platform X within one week, a lawyer said, after more than two months of disruption ordered by the interior ministry.
The platform, formerly known as Twitter, has been rarely accessible since February 17, when jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party called for protests against a government official’s admission of vote manipulation in February’s election.
Pakistan’s communications authority later admitted in court papers that it was ordered by the Interior Ministry to shut down the site.
“The Sindh High Court has given the government one week to withdraw the letter, failing which, on the next date, they will pass appropriate orders,” Moiz Jaaferi, a lawyer challenging the ban, told AFP.
