ISLAMABAD – A district and sessions court in Islamabad suspended a lower court’s order to block five additional YouTube channels on Saturday, just a day after granting similar relief to journalists Matiullah Jan and Asad Ali Toor. The court’s decision temporarily halts the blocking of several online platforms accused of spreading “fake, misleading, and defamatory” content against the state and military.
The move comes amid growing backlash from journalists, rights organizations, and digital freedom advocates, who argue the government is using legal tools to silence dissenting voices.
Court Grants Relief to Five More Petitioners
On Saturday, Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Muhammad Afzal Majoka heard fresh appeals filed by six individuals whose YouTube channels were among the 27 ordered to be blocked last month.
The court granted interim relief to five of the petitioners — Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Orya Maqbool Jan, Abdul Qadir, Uzair Anwar, and Umair Rafique. The judge temporarily suspended the blocking of their channels, pending further legal review.
The sixth petitioner, Habib Akram, could not attend the hearing. The court adjourned his case until July 14 due to his unavailability.
The short court orders, available with Dawn.com, noted that no prior notices were issued to the petitioners before the block was enforced — a point the judge said “needed further consideration” under Article 10-A of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to a fair trial.
Legal Community, Rights Groups Raise Alarm
The court action follows a wave of criticism after it emerged on Tuesday that a judicial magistrate had ordered YouTube to block 27 accounts allegedly spreading anti-government content. The affected channels included those run by journalists, commentators, and influencers both in Pakistan and abroad.
Digital and legal rights groups strongly condemned the move. The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Forum for Digital Rights and Democracy (FDRD) called it a “blatant violation of fundamental rights.”
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also criticized the decision. In a statement, the commission said, “The wholesale blocking of entire channels — rather than addressing specific instances of unlawful or hateful speech — conflates dissent with criminal activity.”
The HRCP warned that targeting speech through blanket bans undermines not only freedom of expression but also democratic accountability. They called for “precise and proportionate” actions to address genuine cases of hate speech, rather than silencing critics entirely.
Government Threatens Criminal Action
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry responded to the controversy on Wednesday by stating that criminal charges may be brought against those running the banned channels.
“The owners of these channels will face legal consequences,” he said, suggesting the government was pursuing a tougher stance on what it views as anti-state activity online.
Chaudhry’s statement further escalated concerns among journalists and digital rights watchdogs, who argue that such measures are part of a broader campaign to intimidate independent voices.
Ongoing Crackdown Raises Broader Concerns
This is not the first time Pakistani authorities have cracked down on online dissent. In March, journalist Farhan Mallick, founder of media agency Raftar and a former news director at Samaa TV, was arrested in Karachi under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and Pakistan Penal Code, for allegedly posting “anti-state” content on YouTube.
He was later granted bail in April in multiple cases, including one involving allegations of data theft via a call center.
In a related development, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) lifted the year-long ban on X (formerly Twitter) in May 2025, more than a year after it was blocked following the February 2024 general elections. The timing of the ban, implemented during the tenure of the caretaker government, had raised similar censorship concerns.