KARACHI: Sindh High Court on Wednesday issued directions to incumbent authorities and ordered them to ensure non-stop access to the internet for all citizens till the upcoming elections.
The court issued new directions as SHC barred authorities from shutting down internet services, and directed government to submit on January 29.
Political parties filed a lawsuit alleging that authorities had interfered with social media and internet services during online protests in the run-up to the election.
Users in Pakistan have experienced intermittent internet service and issues accessing several social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, in the past few weeks.
Chief Justice Aqeel Abbasi of the SHC hears the plea in the aftermath of significant internet interruptions. The petitioner claimed that internet bans were unfair and that they were making it difficult for candidates to run for office.
On the other hand, the interim administration insisted that software updates and technical issues are the reason behind internet suspension.
During a press conference earlier this week, caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi had attributed the outages to “technical” issues and system installations. He also said that there was “no guarantee” such incidents won’t occur in the future.
