The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday summoned the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan in a case pertaining to the ban on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Access to X has been disrupted since February 17, 2024 when former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Chattha accused the chief election commissioner and a top Supreme Court judge of being involved in rigging the February 8 general elections.
Rights bodies and journalists’ organisations have condemned the muzzling of social media, while internet service providers have also lamented losses due to disruptions. The United States had also called on Pakistan to lift restrictions on social media platforms.
Tuesday’s proceedings were presided over by a three-member bench headed by LHC Chief Justice Aalia Neelum. The three-member bench also included Justice Farooq Haider and Justice Ali Zia Bajwa.
The petitions against the ban have been filed by journalist Shakir Mahmood and others. The federal government, the Ministry of Law, the Ministry of Information and others had been made parties in the petitions.
In the previous hearing, the LHC had given a final opportunity to the federal government to resolve the issue of the ban on X and directed the authorities concerned to propose a solution and identify who will implement it.
“The attorney general should tell what is the legal status of the notification of the ban on X,” Justice Haider asked during the proceedings.
“A report has been submitted by the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) in this case,” Additional Attorney General (AAG) Mirza Nasar Ahmed responded.
“The PTA and the federal government are not on the same page on Twitter’s [X] shutdown,” Advocate Azhar Siddique, the petitioners’ lawyer said.
“There is no concept of one page in the court; you and the court are also not on the same page,” Justice Neelum responded.
“There was no written response from the federal government in this regard,” Advocate Siddique added, questioning the grounds on which the PTA had shut down X. “The court had asked for a list of government members using Twitter [X], which was not provided,” Advocate Siddique remarked.
“The list of those government members who are using X was sought [but] it is not possible for us to provide such a list,” AAG Ahmed responded. He continued that the case should be fixed for hearing on April 17. “The attorney general will appear in court on that date,” the AAG added.
The court summoned the AGP for assistance on April 17. “The AGP should appear before the court prepared and shed light on all legal matters,” Justice Neelum remarked.
