Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi emphasized on Tuesday the necessity for enhanced legislation to regulate freedom of expression on the internet, as the disruption of the social media platform X extended into its fifth consecutive week.
Without explicitly confirming responsibility for the nationwide restrictions on the platform, formerly known as Twitter, Islamabad has refrained from clear statements, leaving it scarcely accessible since February 17.
The disruptions ensued subsequent to a senior government official’s public acknowledgment of electoral malpractice, which marred Pakistan’s polls earlier that month.
In response to inquiries regarding his ministry’s involvement in the X shutdown, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi remarked, “We need to establish better laws. While expression is essential, leveling false accusations against individuals is unacceptable – and it’s happening and needs rectification.”
“We must reassess our legislation and scrutinize instances of misuse,” he conveyed to reporters in remarks broadcasted on state TV.
X, along with platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, played pivotal roles in the election campaigning of incarcerated former Prime Minister and prominent opposition figure Imran Khan.
However, Khan was disqualified from contesting, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party faced widespread arrests and censorship in the lead-up to the February 8 polls.
With much of their campaigning shifting online, it was met with numerous social media blackouts, attributed by Islamabad to technical glitches.
The claims of electoral misconduct were further exacerbated by a nationwide mobile internet shutdown on polling day, justified by the caretaker government for security reasons following twin bombings that claimed 28 lives a day earlier.
As of Tuesday afternoon, X remained inaccessible to AFP reporters in Islamabad, Peshawar, and Lahore, although sporadic access has been reported over the past five weeks.
Sadaf Khan, an analyst for the Pakistani campaign group Media Matters for Democracy, criticized the lack of transparency from the government, stating, “Twitter is being specifically targeted because it has become a platform for political discourse.”
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has called for government clarification regarding the X blockade, highlighting its adverse impact on businesses and news dissemination in Pakistan.
The United States has urged Pakistan to lift restrictions on X, underscoring the importance of freedom of expression in a democratic society.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has provided contradictory statements regarding the disruption, indicating to one local media outlet that it “is operational” while informing another that it was “previously banned” when the new government assumed power.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who assumed office through a tenuous coalition following unexpected successes by Khan’s candidates, has frequently utilized X for official statements. Most recently, he employed the platform to congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his controversial re-election, which has drawn criticism from independent observers and the West as the most corrupt in post-Soviet history.
