Sindh High Court Orders Restoration of Social Media Platforms

The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued a directive on Wednesday, instructing the federal government and the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) to reinstate the services of social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), nationwide. The court, led by SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, issued this order in response to a petition challenging recent "unconstitutional" internet outages across the country.

The court has also summoned a report from the PTA regarding the suspension of internet services on election day and issued a notice to the federal government.

Despite the court's directive, social media platform X (Twitter) remains inaccessible in Pakistan, with reports of outages starting on Saturday. NetBlocks, an organization monitoring internet accessibility, confirmed a "national-scale disruption" affecting X in Pakistan after widespread protests related to alleged vote rigging in the general elections.

In the wake of the general elections, PTI-backed independent candidates have established a lead, particularly in the National and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies. As per the current results, PTI-backed independent candidates have secured 92 seats, with PML-N in second place with 79 seats, and PPP winning 54 seats. Other parties such as MQM-P, JUI-F, PML-Q, IPP, and BNP have also secured seats.

Following the elections, the PML-N and PPP formed committees to negotiate terms and conditions for the next federal government. A recent development reveals that both parties have reached an agreement on forming a coalition government at the center, with PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif expected to become the prime minister once again. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari expressed confidence in addressing Pakistan's challenges through this collaborative effort.