‘X’ banned over security concerns: Tarar

NEW YORK: Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar Friday said that ban on X, formerly Twitter, was imposed due to national security issues, not to curb freedom of expression.

The minister, in an interview with Voice of America, dispelled the impression that it was an unannounced ban, saying that the caretaker government had banned X before the February elections due to the issues related to compliance.

The separatists and terrorists were using the platform against Pakistan which could not be allowed, he added.

Tarar said that the terrorists belonging to the so-called Balochistan Liberation Army were using the platform for promoting their anti-state activities.

Even the terrorists showed their terrorist activities live on the X without any check, he added.

The minister said that the matter of ban on X was sub judice and the Ministry of Interior had already filed its reply in the court in that regard. “As Pakistanis we can request the management of X to remove anti-state content uploaded by the terrorists,” he stressed.

Terrorists, he added, were misusing social media platforms which was totally unjustified. “There must be some system to regulate the social media. Web management system was already in place,” he said, adding there was no harm in ensuring cyber and data security through it.

He opined that a Digital Rights Protection Authority type institution was needed where the people could file complaints to get them redressed. A draft for the Digital Rights Protection Authority had been taken up by the federal cabinet, but it was deferred, he added.

The cabinet, he said, issued directives for taking suggestions from all the stakeholders, including media houses, journalists organisations including Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and political parties so that an effective legislation could be done for future implementation. He said as a political worker, he believed that ban on X should be removed and that could be possible if its management improved compliance issues.