The regulator says it has approached the platform three times since 2022; court marks lack of access to lawyer for jailed PTI founder
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told the Islamabad High Court on Thursday that it had approached X on three occasions over the past three-and-a-half years to ask for the suspension of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan’s account, but most of its requests were rejected.
According to a PTA report submitted to the court, the authority first wrote to X on August 21, 2022, requesting that Imran Khan’s account be blocked. Another request was sent on April 18, 2024, citing judgments in the Toshakhana, cipher and iddat cases, the report said.
The case stems from a writ petition filed by citizen Ghulam Murtaza seeking blocking of Khan’s X, erstwhile Twitter account, during which the Islamabad High Court also took a related contempt plea over the alleged non-implementation of its order allowing lawyer-client meetings in Adiala jail.
The PTA told the court that a third request was made on November 27, 2025, seeking blocking of “47 tweets” posted by the PTI founder. However, X only acted on one tweet while the rest of the request was denied, according to the report.
Read: Adiala jail denies PTI founder runs X account from jail
The PTA stated that despite contacting X “three times” during this period, the social media platform declined to suspend the account. The authority also informed the court that it had directed social media companies to register with the PTA and appoint local representatives in Pakistan, but said the companies had “neither registered nor appointed a local contact”.
The report further noted that social media companies are registered in their respective countries and “do not consider themselves bound by the laws of other states,” adding that complaints from other jurisdictions are assessed under each platform’s internal policies.
The PTA’s report was submitted to the Islamabad High Court in connection with a petition to close the PTI founder’s X account.
During hearings on January 21 and 22, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir repeatedly expressed concern over the authorities’ failure to facilitate a meeting between Imran Khan and his lawyer, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, despite a court order issued on November 4 allowing such consultation. Raja told the court that he had not even been allowed to meet his client since he filed the case, saying, “I have filed the case but I am not allowed to meet my client.”
The court questioned how the case could proceed without a legal hearing, noting that final arguments could not be heard in the absence of attorney-client access. “How will this case move forward without allowing the meeting?” Justice Tahir noted, adding that once the meeting was arranged, the case could proceed to final arguments scheduled for February 24.
Read more: IHC links X case with Imran lawyer access
During the same hearings, the court termed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) response in the X-account case “unsatisfactory”, noting a disconnect between the relief sought in the writ petition and the regulator’s response. Addressing the PTA’s counsel, Justice Tahir noted that the authority should “look at what the subpoena is and then look at your response.”
The government counsel argued that cases relating to prison meetings were heard by a larger bench. However, the court declined to stay the proceedings on this basis and sought a detailed written response from the Advocate General Islamabad in the contempt petition regarding non-compliance with the November 4 order.
Imran Khan has been detained in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail since September 2023. According to court submissions, he has not been allowed to meet his lawyers since November 2025.
