ISLAMABAD: Amid challenges Pakistanis are facing due to the closure of microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), the government is mulling the complete suspension of X services in Pakistan.
Sources within PTA told Daily Ausaf that the government has decided to keep the social media platform X completely closed in Pakistan which has been inaccessible in Pakistan without a Virtual Private Network (VPN) since February 17.
The law enforcement agencies and the PTA administration recommended the complete disruption of X and a response has been given to the Ministry of Interior regarding the closure, sources said.
READ MORE: X says working with Pakistani govt to understand concerns
Earlier, X issued a brief statement on Pakistan’s concerns regarding the platform’s no response to the Pakistan govt’s multiple requests. In a tweet, X’s Global Government Affairs said we continue to work with the Pakistani Government to understand their concerns.
We continue to work with the Pakistani Government to understand their concerns.
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) April 17, 2024
On April 18, social media platform X shared this response for the first time since the site was disrupted in Pakistan on February 17, when former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Chattha accused the chief election commissioner of being involved in the rigging of February 8 polls.
The day before X’s response, the Interior Ministry in a report submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) said that X was shut down in Pakistan after the company failed to adhere to directives made by the government. The federal government maintained that X did not respond to multiple requests by the government.
In March, the interior ministry informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) that the social media platform X was blocked due to intelligence agency reports.
