ISLAMABAD:Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday served notices to the information technology ministry in a case seeking to undo ban on a social application TikTok in Pakistan.
The court also instructed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to satisfy the bench regarding the ban and consult the federal government pertaining to the subject.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked the PTA lawyer that why the social app had been banned, if this was the solution then the department should also block Google and other apps under the same grounds.
He further said this was 21st century in which the people’s employment was also connected with the social media.
At this, the PTA’s lawyer read out the decisions of Peshawar and Sindh high courts. The bench noted that both the courts had not ordered to completely ban the TikTok in their decisions.
The chief justice observed that such videos were also being uploaded on YouTube then should it also be banned. The PTA had misused the verdict of the two courts, he remarked.
Justice Minallah asked that why the other apps were not blocked under the same grounds.
The PTA lawyer Munawar Dogal said the users had to search the material on other applications while these appeared itself on TikTok.
The court said the people should themselves avoid negative material on app, adding that the PTA should guide the public in that regard.
Either the PTA had conducted any research on advantages and disadvantages of the TikTok, the bench asked.
Justice Minallah asked the PTA lawyer to inform about the countries which had blocked the TikTok.
The India had banned the application because it belonged to China, he said.
Did the PTA want to disconnect Pakistan from rest of the world, the court questioned. The lawyer said the TikTok administration was not cooperating with the PTA due to which the department had banned it.
He said the application was not banned permanently instead the department had done this to prepare a mechanism to remove objectionable material.
The petitioner’s lawyer prayed the court to suspend the PTA’s order regarding banning the app.
The chief justice said the PTA should have not ban this without consulting the federal government.
The court adjourned hearing of the case till August 23, with above instructions.