In a written presentation, the government stated that the restriction aims to “maintain public order”
Pakistan's Ministry of Interior confirmed this Wednesday (April 17, 2024) that the X application (formerly Twitter) is blocked in the country “for reasons of national security” since February. Pakistani users had already reported problems accessing the social network, but the government and X did not comment at the time.
The X block date coincides with elections in Pakistan, which were held in February and March. On that occasion, Nawaz Sharif was elected by Congress as prime minister. He defeated Omar Ayub Khan, a candidate supported by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Khan, who has more than 20 million followers on X, is the most popular Pakistani on the social network. The former prime minister, who governed between 2018 and 2022, has been in prison since August, accused of selling gifts from the Executive and leaking state secrets.
In a written statement to the Islamabad High Court, the Ministry of Interior stated: “Hostile elements operating on Twitter/X have nefarious intentions to create an environment of chaos and instability, with the ultimate goal of destabilizing the country and plunging it into some form of anarchy.”
Despite the restriction, government employees continue to use the platform through the VPN network, which hides or changes the user's location. On March 8, Sharif even used the social network to thank other heads of state for their congratulations on winning the elections. The official Pakistani government account on X is active.
The Pakistani government criticized the social network for “reluctance to solve the problem”.
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