In a recent development, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has instructed the respondents to present their arguments in the case regarding the suspension of social media platform X. The directive came during a hearing presided over by LHC’s Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, who was considering a miscellaneous plea filed by journalist Hafiz Shakir Mehmood challenging the suspension of X.
During the proceedings, advocate Azhar Siddique, representing the petitioner, presented arguments on behalf of the petitioner. Siddique highlighted that X has remained suspended for the past two months, following a directive from the Interior Ministry to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on February 17.
The counsel emphasized that the Interior Ministry lacked the authority to order the suspension of X’s services, raising questions about the jurisdiction of such actions.
Subsequently, the court has called for responses from opposition parties involved in the case, setting a deadline of April 18 for their submissions. Notices have been issued to the respondents to ensure their participation in the legal proceedings regarding the suspension of X.
