International

Pakistan Blocks Elon Musk's X Due To 'National Security Concerns'

The Pakistan government has temporarily blocked the Elon Musk-owned social media platform X. Citing "national security concerns and misuse", the website has been banned across the country.

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The Pakistan government has temporarily blocked the Elon Musk-owned social media platform X. Citing "national security concerns and misuse", the website has been banned across the country.

Pakistan's interior ministry had issued a letter regarding the suspension of the social media platform.

Taking notice of the ban, X's Global Government Affairs team has stated that the social media company will continue to work with the Pakistani government to understand their "concerns".

However, the Sindh High Court has challenged the order and given the Interior ministry a week's time to revoke its letter calling for the suspension of the social media platform.

The court called upon the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority after it blocked the website. The PTA stated that it operated under the directives of the Interior Ministry and intelligence agencies.

In a separate case, the Interior Ministry justified the ban to the Islamabad High Court stating that the content uploaded on the platform is a "threat to Pakistan's national security".

Pakistani X users had been reporting problems with the platform since mid-February. However, no official announcement from the government had been made regarding the shutdown.

"It is very pertinent to mention here that the failure of X/Twitter to adhere to the lawful directives of the government of Pakistan and address concerns regarding the misuse of its platform necessitated the imposition of a ban," stated the report as seen news agency Reuters.