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PM Sharif uses VPN to congratulate Trump on banned X?

TSP Reporter
Written by TSP Reporter
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif faces online backlash over the Trump congratulatory post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
 
In a good will and well intentioned post, the PM on January 20, 2025, congratulated the 47th President of the United States for assuming office while accentuating the strong partnership between the two nations. However the well intentioned post was quickly flagged on X and turned scandalous.
 
It was brought to the attention that X is officially banned in Pakistan while Sharif being the representative of Pakistan had illegally accessed the platform.
No sooner had Pakistan recovered from PIA’s distasteful ad campaign debacle and several other criticisms over former PM Imran Khan’s arrest to name a few, Sharif has added another feather to his hat of embarrassments.
 

Ban on X by Pakistan 

 
In February 2024, around the time of their National elections, Pakistan levied a ban on the social media platform X over security concerns. However, the official announcement was made in August 2024. The ban at the time was viewed as Pakistan’s move to control public discourse.
 
At the time, the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) utilized the platform to call for protests against a government official’s admission of vote manipulation. In the events to follow, X was actively utilized by Khan and his supporters on several occasions which led to clashes between the Pakistani forces and PTI workers and supporters.
 
Strong statements were released by the Ministry of Interior stating “It is very pertinent to mention here that the failure of Twitter/X to adhere to the lawful directives of the government of Pakistan and address concerns regarding the misuse of Its platform necessitated the imposition of a ban”.
 
The Ministry had affirmed that the decision to initiate the ban on Twitter/X in Pakistan was made in the interest of upholding “national security, maintaining public order, and preserving the integrity of our nation”. The government of Pakistan further ascertained that the social media platform had been adamant at not resolving the matter.
 
During the general elections in Pakistan, the authorities had shut down mobile services due to security concerns. NetBlocks, an internet monitor, also mentioned that users could not access X on 10thFebruary 2024 when the results of the elections were expected to be announced. Initially, it was maintained that the decision to temporarily block X was taken after deliberating on confidential reports from Pakistan’s intelligence.
 
Pakistan claimed in its press release stating that “hostile elements operating on Twitter/X have nefarious intentions to create an environment of chaos and instability, with the ultimate goal of destabilizing the country and plunging it into some form of anarchy”.
 
As a backlash, the Sindh High Court had ordered the government to restore X within one week, the AFP news agency had reported. Despite the ban, it was reported that access to X had been infrequent, occasionally available for short intervals based on the internet service provider, while pushing users to use virtual private networks (VPN).
 
Much to the displeasure of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N), Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party which was known to be a frequent user of social media platforms, with Khan’s handle raking up 20.6 million followers. Therefore the ban on X was seen as a form of move to keep perspectives in favour of Sharif while silencing Khan’s voice.
Regardless in a probable rationale, it is assumed that several government officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, have continued to use X, most likely through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
 
The recent incident has sparked debates over the government’s enforcement of the ban and the transparency of its imposed policies.
Social media users have trolled Sharif with many quoting the popular phrase "gajjab bejjati hai” to ridicule the PM’s action on X, while others have censured the government’s hypocrisy in enforcing the ban.
 
Additionally, this Incident has also drawn several discussions and debates over Pakistan’s censorship of social media while questioning its ability in holding public figures responsible. Even though the Community Note was later removed by X, the matter has blazed an online conflagration with screenshots of the X community note being circulated online.
 
 

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TSP Reporter

TSP Reporter

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