Interior ministry's reluctance in submitting reply on X suspension irks SHC chief justice

• SHC hears pleas against suspension of internet and X in Pakistan. 
• People continue to face sporadic disruptions on social media site. 
• Court extends existing stay order for uninterrupted internet access.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday directed interior secretary to appear in person before the court on April 17 if the Interior Ministry again fails to submit a response over the continuous suspension of social media site X, formerly Twitter, and internet outages in the country.

The directive came during the hearing of pleas against the inaccessibility of X — which is an important source of information — in Pakistan for more than two months, as Interior Ministry’s failure in furnishing a response irked the court.

The SHC on the last hearing had sought replies from the ministry and other authorities today (March 20) as the Pakistanis continue to face sporadic disruptions and hindrances in accessing the social media platform despite SHC's stay order directing the authorities to ensure uninterrupted internet access.

This inaccessibility started before the February 8 general election, while the country also faced complete internet suspension during the polling.

Today, the court expressed displeasure as the lawyer representing the government sought extension for the submission of reply by the interior secretary.

“It is just about writing four lines denying to have any information [about the X suspension]. We know the stories [made up by] all of them [authorities] and especially the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA),” SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi said in a hard hitting remark.

During the hearing, rights activist Jibran Nasir said that the X has been facing disruptions since the judicial orders for restoring the site.

The judge said that the court wants to know the opinion of interior secretary, seeking his “serious comments” on the matter on April 17. The court also extended the existing stay order.

The SHC CJ on the last hearing had observed that prima facie social media platforms were being managed.

Rights agency Amnesty International has also called for the immediate restoration of social media platform X.