Amnesty International, along with 28 civil society organizations, has called upon the Pakistani government to restore access to X, formerly known as Twitter, in Pakistan. In a joint statement, they emphasized the need for the government to provide clarity and legal justification for the recent blocking of the platform.
The statement highlighted concerns over the increasing frequency of internet shutdowns and social media platform bans in Pakistan. These actions, according to Amnesty International, not only violate fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and access to information but also set a dangerous precedent by stifling political discourse and diversity of voices.
Describing the outage of X as an arbitrary action, the organizations pointed out that the prolonged and unannounced disruption since February 17 underscores the growing trend of digital censorship in the country. They also warned against the adverse effects of such actions, including the spread of misinformation and the silencing of diverse political voices.
The joint statement criticized the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for its silence on the matter, noting that the authority failed to provide any justification for blocking the platform and exceeded its mandate by blocking an entire internet platform.
Expressing dismay over reports of VPN throttling amidst the ongoing X outage, the organizations urged the government to repeal Section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), which enables censorship and is believed to violate Article 19 and Article 19-A of the Pakistani Constitution. This move, they argued, would uphold fundamental rights and promote a free and open internet environment in Pakistan.
