'X' shutdown for national security, Interior Ministry

Islamabad: The report submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on the petition against the shutdown of social media platform X, the Ministry of Interior said that the decision to shut down X was taken to maintain national security and law and order situation.

In the IHC, the Ministry of Interior submitted a report on the petition against the suspension of social networking platform X.

The Ministry of Home Affairs requested that the petitioner should be dismissed at the initial stage as no fundamental right of the petitioner has been deprived.

It is further held that the application against the X suspension is contrary to law and facts, not hearable as X is neither registered in Pakistan, nor is it a party to the agreement to abide by the laws of Pakistan.

The report states that X did not comply with the orders of the government of Pakistan regarding the misuse of the platform.

The Interior Ministry said in the report that the cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) requested X to ban accounts propagating against the Chief Justice.

The report further stated that the X authorities ignored, even did not respond to the request of the FIA Cyber Crime Wing. The non-cooperation of the X authorities justifying regulatory action against X including temporary closure.

According to the report, the government has no other option than the temporary shutdown of X. On the request of intelligence agencies, the Ministry of Interior issued orders for the X suspension on February 17, 2024.

The report added that the decision to shut down X was taken to maintain national security and law and order situation, as social media platforms are being used indiscriminately to spread extremist ideas and false information.

The Interior Ministry continued in the report that X is being used as a tool by some evil elements to damage law and order and promote instability. But there is no prohibition.

According to the report, the ban on X is aimed at responsible use of social media platforms in accordance with the law, the Ministry of Interior is responsible for the protection of the citizens of Pakistan and national stability.

The report states that the social media platform TikTok was also banned by the government earlier, the ban was lifted after TikTok signed an agreement to abide by Pakistani law.

The report continued that the X suspension is not in violation of Article-19 of the Constitution.