X/Twitter Remains Blocked due to “National Security”

The social media platform X (Formerly Twitter) continues to be blocked in Pakistan, in the wake of Pakistan’s controversial February 2024 general election. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Pakistan’s Minister for IT who had controversially blamed VPN for internet slowdowns in August 2024 (an explanation that received scepticism across the board), dismissed concerns that blocking X was a freedom of expression issue. The minister claimed that the block is necessary for national security reasons, as “Cybersecurity is the need of the hour” in her words, and that “only” 2 percent of the population used the platform – which includes members of the Government of Pakistan, such as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.