Elon Musk’s X says working with Pakistan government to “understand concerns”

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 18 (ANI): Elon Musk-owned social media platform X, which has faced disruptions in Pakistan since February, has stated that it continues work with the Pakistani Government to understand their concerns, Dawn reported.

The statement was issued by X’s Global Government Affairs late on Wednesday night, marking its first response since the disruptions began.

“We continue to work with the Pakistani Government to understand their concerns,” the post said on X.

According to Dawm, access to X has been disrupted since February 17, when former Rawalpindi commissioner Liaquat Chattha accused the chief election commissioner and chief justice of Pakistan of being involved in rigging the February 8 general elections.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday directed the Pakistan Interior Ministry to revoke its letter regarding suspension of social media ‘X’ within one week, reported The News International.

People in Pakistan continue to face difficulty accessing social media platform X as the government has suspended its access since February, citing national security threats.

“What are you [interior ministry] achieving via shutting down trivial things […] The world must laugh at us,” SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi said while hearing multiple petitions filed by Zarrar Khuhro, Jibran Nasir and others.

Last month, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) told the court that it blocked the social media platform after receiving directions from the Ministry of Interior and intelligence agencies, The News International reported.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the Chief Justice of the SHC highlighted that the “law does not empower the interior ministry to act on reports forwarded by intelligence agencies.”

“In hindsight (it seems that) no justification was given to suspend X,” the SHC chief justice said, adding that the court will issue its orders if the interior ministry does not withdraw the directives issued on February 17.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing till May 9, and directed the Interior Ministry to present its reasons behind the blocking of the social media platform on the mentioned date.