13 March, 2024: We, a collective of human rights activists and civil society organisations, express profound concern over the increasing instances of internet shutdowns and social media platform blocking, specifically in the lead up to and following the general elections in Pakistan. These actions not only infringe upon the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and access to information but also set a troubling precedent of throttling genuine political discourse including plurality of voices in the country.
The arbitrary blocking of platforms, including the prolonged and unannounced disruption of “X” (formerly known as Twitter), is a sobering illustration of growing digital censorship in the country. Such actions not only silence diverse political voices, but also create an environment which contributes to the spread of misinformation. Today, digital platforms play a pivotal role in shaping public discourse, and ensuring the free flow of information, through these digital mediums, is imperative for an informed society and fair electoral processes. The suppression of digital platforms, especially when initiated without transparency, often lacks adherence to due legal process and thus, undermines Pakistan’s international law commitments.
The complete silence of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is extremely alarming as they have failed to furnish any reasons for its actions and exceeded its mandate to block an entire internet platform. The absence of transparency in the decision-making processes surrounding network shutdowns and platform blocking and complete disregard for any accountability has resulted in an obvious erosion of trust between the state and its citizens. We are also dismayed by reports of throttling of VPNs, undermining people’s access to information and right to privacy.
In light of these concerns, we call for immediate action to reverse the course of digital censorship in Pakistan. Specifically, we urge the government and public bodies to;
- Immediately unblock Twitter / X in Pakistan
- Repeal sections of the law such as Section 37 of PECA that enable censorship and violate Article 19 right to freedom of speech and press freedom and Article 19-A right of access to information
- Act with transparency on decisions that impact the free use of the internet, including for political and economic purposes.
- Issue statement of clarification, outlining the reasons and legal basis for the recent blocking of “X” and other affected platforms.
- Avoid future actions that obstruct the free flow of information and adversely affect political discourse within the countries and take back all legislative proposals expanding control and censorship over the internet including the e-safety bill from the previous government’s tenure should not be revived.
- Abide by Pakistan’s commitments to uphold freedom of expression and right to access to information under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We urge the incoming government, regulators and other public bodies to recognise that any action that affects the flow of information and limits citizen’s ability to express themselves, has a direct and lingering impact on citizen’s human rights including the right to political participation.
Signatories
Organisations
- AGHS
- Bolo Bhi
- Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD)
- Digital Rights Foundation (DRF)
- Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA)
- Human Rights Watch (HRW)
- Freedom Network (FN)
- Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)
- Bytes for All
- Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
- Women Democratic Front
- Access Now
- Awami Workers Party Islamabad/Rawalpindi
- Aurat March Lahore
- Digital Media Alliance of Pakistan (DigiMAP)
- Alliance for Diversity and Pluralism in Media in Pakistan
- Pakistan Digital Editors Alliance (PDEA)
- Pakistan Digital Media Association
- Progressive Students Federation
- Aurat March Islamabad
- Joint Action Committee for Refugees ( JAC-R)
- Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum
- Aurat March Karachi
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
- Zuka Books
- Amnesty International
- Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists
- Pakistan Bar Council
Individuals
- Muhammad Aftab Alam, Advocate
- Iqbal Khattak, veteran journalist
- Adnan Rehmat, media analyst
- Shafique Chaudhry, Executive Director, Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights (PCHR)
- Haroon Baloch, Media & Digital Rights Expert
- Usama Khilji, Bolo Bhi
- Zoya Rehman, Women Democratic Front
- Abdullah Nizamani, Lawyer
- Zohra Yusuf, Council member HRCP
- Salima Hashmi, Council member HRCP
- Imdad Khoso, Journalist & Council member HRCP
- Ammar Rashid, Awami Workers Party
- Zeeshan Ahmed, Awami Workers Party
- Amber Rahim Shamsi, Journalist & Director CEJ
- Munizae Jahangir, Co Chair HRCP & Founder voicepk.net
- Ms Afia Salam, veteran journalist
- Ramsha Jahangir, Journalist
- Najma Maheshwari, Hindu activist
- Jehan Ara, Founder & CEO Katalyst Labs
- Uzair Younus, Economic Analyst
- Hamid Mir, Journalist
- Asma Shirazi, Journalist
- Aun Ahmed, Progressive Students Federation
- Maria Memon, Journalist
- Absa Komal, Journalist
- Atiqa Shahid, Gender researcher
- Raza Mahmood Khan, Peace activist
- Azeem Ullah Minhas, HRCP activist
- Saleem Malik, HRCP activist
- Jawziya Zaman, Writer & Editor
- Hija Kamran, Digital Rights Specialist
- Nida Tanweer, HR activists.
- Usman Zafar, journalist and researcher
- Moniza Kakar , Lawyer & HRD
- Asfandyar Farrukh, MD Urban Brands
- Arifa Noor, Dawn News
- Areeba Fatima, Journalist & Socialist-Feminist
- Samar Abbas, Lawyer
- Mahim Maher, journalist
- Rahim Sajwani, video editor
- Zia Ur Rehman, journalist and researcher
- Taqi Shaheen, Artist
- Naila Raheem, HRCP
- Aliya Syed, HRCP
- Mehr F Husain, editor and publisher
- Sophia Hasnain
- Abid Saqi, Senior Lawyer & Former Vice Chairperson Pakistan Bar Council
- Mubariz Ahmed Siddiqui, lawyer
- Aly Fahd, Paklaunch
- Taimur Malik, Paklaunch
