X Banned in Pakistan Amid Ongoing Political Unrest

After reports that X (formerly Twitter) had been banned in Pakistan, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry has now confirmed that it has taken action against the Elon Musk-owned app, amid ongoing political turmoil in the region.

Pakistani officials originally pulled the plug on X back in February, in the lead-up to the nation’s general election, though no official action was announced at that time.

The Interior Ministry has now confirmed that X has been banned in the region, due to the platform’s “failure to adhere to the lawful directives of the government of Pakistan, and address concerns regarding the misuse of its platform.”

“The decision to impose a ban on Twitter/X in Pakistan was made in the interest of upholding national security, maintaining public order, and preserving the integrity of our nation.”

Though it hasn’t yet provided any specifics.

Pakistan has been dealing with ongoing unrest following the February poll, which jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan claims was rigged against his supporters. Activists say that the X ban is designed to “quash dissent” and supress claims of interference in the result.

For its part, X claims that it’s not entirely clear on the reasons for the ban:

We continue to work with the Pakistani Government to understand their concerns.

— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) April 17, 2024
Pakistan has a long history of internet censorship, with various social platforms facing bans, at different times, in the region as part of broader measures to mitigate angst and unrest. Rather than request censorship of users and posts, as neighboring India has done, Pakistani officials seem more likely to lean on full service restrictions, though the impetus, in both nations, is essentially the same.    

It’s unclear if or when X will be re-activated in the region, nor what X needs to do to meet Pakistani officials’ requests.

X reportedly has around 4.5 million users in the region.