An Islamabad district and sessions court on Saturday suspended a lower court’s order to block 27 YouTube channels to the effect of five more channels, a day after a similar halt on channels of two journalists.
It emerged on Tuesday 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.
The Forum for Digital Rights and Democracy (FDRD) and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Wednesday condemned the decision, calling it a “blatant violation” of fundamental rights and an assault on press freedom.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has also expressed concern over the ban, stating, “The wholesale blocking of entire channels — rather than addressing specific instances of unlawful or hateful speech in accordance with due process — conflates dissent with criminal activity.”
“The constitutional right to freedom of expression is fundamental not only for individual liberty but also for ensuring government accountability, fostering debate and enabling the public to access a diversity of viewpoints,” the HRCP said, urging “precise and proportionate” interventions against hate speech.
On March 20, Farhan Mallick, the founder of media agency Raftar and a former news director at Samaa TV, was arrested in Karachi and booked under Peca as well as the Pakistan Penal Code in a case related to alleged anti-state content on his YouTube channel.
The arrest was met with widespread criticism from media bodies as well as rights activists.
He was granted bail in April in the many cases against him pertaining to allegedly “anti-state” content and data theft through a call centre.
In May, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority lifted the ban on X after the platform was inaccessible to users for more than a year. The social media platform was blocked in February 2024, around 10 days after the general elections, while the caretaker government was still in power.