Upcoming New Government to Decide on Restoring X

The famous social media platform X has been suspended in Pakistan for more than 10 days now. Till now, there has been no announcement from the authorities regarding its restoration. On top of it, the caretaker government of Pakistan has decided to leave the decision regarding the restoration of X  to the new incoming government. Therefore,  the fate of X in Pakistan will now rest on the shoulders of the upcoming government.

A credible source has said that the decision to suspend X in Pakistan was made after the platform was found non-compliant with local regulations, specifically in addressing the presence of illegal content. Despite a few efforts to address flagged material, only a small portion of such content has been removed, which prompted the government to take action against the platform. However, the suspension of X has sparked concerns about citizens’ access to digital communication channels and their freedom of expression.

In this regard, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has redirected inquiries regarding the potential restoration of X to the Ministry of Interior (MoI). However, as of yet, there has been no official response from the ministry.

On the other hand, social media users in Pakistan have been using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to gain access to X. However, some recent reports suggest that the government is also working to block VPNs, which will limit users’ ability to bypass the restrictions, leading to more frustration among the netizens.