X was banned to maintain national security, Ministry of Home Affairs
The orders of the government of Pakistan were not obeyed by X, Ministry of Interior: Photo: Web Desk
Islamabad: The Ministry of Interior has submitted a report to the Islamabad High Court against the closure of social networking site X (Twitter).
In the Islamabad High Court, a petition against the closure of social media platform X (Twitter) was heard. The Ministry of Interior, while submitting a report to the court, requested that the petitioner should be dismissed as no right has been deprived of the petitioner.
The report of the Ministry of Interior took the position that the orders of the Government of Pakistan regarding the misuse of the platform by X were not followed, therefore it was necessary to ban X. The petition against closure of X is contrary to law and facts. The FIA ​​Cyber ​​Crime Wing had requested X to ban accounts that were propagating against the Chief Justice.
According to the report, the X officials ignored the request of the FIA ​​cyber crime wing and did not even respond. Non-cooperation by X authorities is justification for regulatory actions against the platform, including temporary closure. X is registered in Pakistan and is not a party to an agreement to comply with Pakistani laws. The government has no choice but to temporarily shut down X.
The report of the Ministry of Interior further states that on the request of intelligence agencies, the Ministry of Interior issued orders for the closure of X on February 17, 2024. The decision to close X was taken to maintain national security and law and order situation. Social media platforms are being used indiscriminately to spread extremist ideas and false information. X is being used as a tool by some nefarious elements to undermine law and order and promote instability.
The report further states that X’s closure is not intended to curtail freedom of expression or access to information, but rather the responsible use of social media platforms in accordance with the law. The Ministry of Interior is the protector of the citizens of Pakistan and responsible for national stability. Earlier, the social media platform Tik Tok was also banned by the government. The ban was lifted after TikTok signed an agreement to abide by Pakistani law.
According to the report, the closure of X is not against Article 19 of the Constitution. Due to security reasons, social media platforms are banned by various countries around the world.