As new PM takes oath, Pakistan senator seeks permanent ban on social media sites

X has anyway been largely offline in Pakistan since 17 February, with occasional service restorations, mainly after former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatta made a statement in front of the media, claiming that the “elections were rigged”.

Separately, reports said authorities are considering a blanket ban on all virtual private networks (VPNs), prompting the IT and services sector to express concerns that such action could severely harm the cash-strapped country’s economy, with a majority of users are using VPNs to access social media platforms.

Numerous posts have been mocking the authorities, including caretaker IT minister Umar Saif, for using a VPN. Saif uses a VPN as his current location in recent tweets shows Hong Kong.

So far, no authority has taken responsibility for restricting the services of X, which activists see as a dangerous trend. “This way, those in power are saying that they can ban any platform without any reason or being answerable to anyone,” said Nighat Dad, a digital rights activist and member of the UN secretary-general’s advisory board on AI.

She added that such a blanket ban on any platform is a violation of fundamental rights, and those in power are not considering the reputation of the country worldwide, especially concerning those who are being invited to invest in Pakistan.

Rumours that even VPNs will be banned in the country have rung alarm bells in the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), which said such a proposal for a blanket ban on VPNs would have detrimental consequences for Pakistan’s economy and its burgeoning reputation as a tech and innovation hub.