Pakistan Bans X over Security Concerns – But The Ban Might Be Temporary

• Pakistan's interior ministry submitted a written filing to the court this Wednesday confirming the rumors that it had banned X since February
• X's non-compliance with the local laws was cited as one of the reasons
• Another reason is the arrest of former PM Imran Khan and the presence of other hostile elements on the platform that could destabilize the country

On Wednesday (April 17, 2024), Pakistan's interior ministry confirmed the rumors and announced that it had temporarily blocked X (formerly known as Twitter) in the country over security concerns during national elections.

Users had complained of service disruption since 8th February, after the commencement of elections and after former prime minister Imran Khan's party called a protest against his arrest.

However, the government didn't make any official comment...up until now.

A lawyer and petitioner named Abdul Moiz Jafri informed that the Sindh High Court directed the government to withdraw the letter within one week, after which the court will make an appropriate decision.

We continue to work with the Pakistani Government to understand their concerns.X's Global Government AffairsWhy Was X Banned in Pakistan?

In simple words, X/Twitter is neither registered in Pakistan nor has it signed any written agreement to comply with the local laws. It made no effort to establish a legal presence in the country or collaborate with the local government.

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.Written court filing

Apparently, these concerns were communicated to X and it showed no interest in solving the issue. So, according to the ministry, it called for regulatory steps that will ensure accountability and willingness to comply with the national laws.

Pakistan's Hostile Political Situation

Apart from the issues with X, the political climate of Pakistan was also a matter of concern, which reportedly contributed to X's Pakistan ban. As I mentioned, X was rarely available after the Imran Khan debacle. The former prime minister has been jailed on many counts, most of which came just a few days before the election.

With 20 million followers on X, Imran Khan is a very influential figure in the country.

In response, his party called for a protest and Imran called the 2022 election rigged and said that the military conspired with his opponent to throw him over.

On top of that, a report from Pakistan's intelligence agency suggests that in addition to Imran Khan, there are many hostile elements" on X who are trying to destabilize Pakistan and establish anarchy.

So, keeping these concerns in mind, the platform was banned as a safety measure. However, how effective this ban was remains a question.

While the general public faced disruptions, some political leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz reported using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to bypass the ban.X's Similar Situation in Brazil

Interestingly, something very, very similar just recently transpired with X in Brazil-or at least it could have. Allow me to explain.

You see, after Elon Musk's open defiance to comply with a Brazilian court order that asked X to ban certain problematic" accounts, several people inside and outside the Brazilian government echoed the warning that if X continued to hold its stance, it would eventually be banned in Brazil.

However, However, whether because of the ban threats or maybe because Elon Musk finally ran out of energy, but surprisingly enough, Twitter made a complete U-turn just around a week after the whole fiasco took place.

Elon Musk's X/Twitter will now be following the court's orders to ban certain accounts the Brazilian government initially asked it to. The company will most likely have to do the same in Pakistan if it wants to continue business in the country.

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