SHC orders govt to restore social media platforms in country

F.P. Report

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday directed the federal government and the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) to restore services of social media platforms including X, formerly known as Twitter, across Pakistan.

The order was issued by SHC bench, headed by SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, on a petition against the “unconstitutional” internet outages across the country in recent days. The court also summoned report from PTA for suspending internet services on election day and issued notice to federal government.

Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, continues to remain inaccessible to users in Pakistan after internet watchdog groups started to report outages on Saturday. NetBlocks, an organisation that monitors accessibility issues on the internet, On February 17 confirmed that a “national-scale disruption” has hit X in Pakistan in the aftermath of widespread protests in the country triggered by the alleged vote rigging in general elections.

PTI-backed Independent candidates consolidated their lead in the Pakistan general elections 2024 over mainstream political parties, especially in the National and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies, throughout the result announcement process. According to the results announced so far, PTI-backed independent candidates have managed to win 92 seats. PML-N is in the second position with 79 seats, while the PPP has won 54 seats.

The MQM-P won in 17 constituencies, JUI-F in four, and PML-Q in three, while IPP and BNP won two seats each. Following the general elections, both the PML-N and PPP had formed committees to decide the terms and conditions for the next federal government.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have finally reached an agreement on forming a government in Centre as both parties have agreed on a ‘power-sharing formula’ following days of negotiations. “PPP and PML-N have achieved the required number and [now] we are in a position to form the government in Centre,” PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said while addressing a joint press conference at Zardari House in Islamabad.

Bilawal Bhutto pointed out that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed candidates and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) failed to achieve a simple majority to form government in the Centre. He said that that both parties are going to form the coalition government and PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif will once again be the country’s prime minister, praying that they would succeed in solving the problems of Pakistan.