ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad district and sessions court on Saturday suspended a lower court’s order to block 27 YouTube channels, granting relief to five more petitioners — a day after a similar suspension was granted to two journalists, Dawn.com reported.

Earlier this week, it emerged that an Islamabad court had ordered YouTube last month to block 27 channels for disseminating “fake, misleading, and defamatory” content against the government and armed forces. The sanctioned accounts were being run by journalists, political commentators and social media influencers in Pakistan and overseas.

On Friday, an Islamabad district and sessions court admitted two revision petitions — submitted by journalists Matiuallah Jan and Asad Ali Toor — against the judicial magistrate’s order blocking 27 YouTube channels, suspending the ban for the two petitioners.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Muhammad Afzal Majoka heard the two revision appeals and ordered the suspension in a one-page written order for each petition.

Six more of those affected had appealed against the lower court’s order today. ADSJ Majoka heard the case and granted similar relief to the following five individuals: Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Orya Maqbool Jan, Abdul Qadir, Uzair Anwar and Umair Rafique.

The court adjourned proceedings on Habib Akram’s application till July 14 due to the unavailability of the petitioner. As per the short orders, seen by Dawn.com, the petitioners contended that they were not even given a prior notice and that the ban violated Article 10-A of the Constitution. The judge agreed that no notices were issued to the petitioners before the blocking order was passed and the point needed further consideration.

The ban order sparked criticism from various legal and digital rights groups.

On Wednesday, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said that the owners of these channels would face criminal action.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2025