Key ally of Pakistan’s prime minister demands end to ban on social media platform X

By MUNIR AHMED
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — An important ally of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif demanded the government lift a two-month-old ban on the social media platform X, saying it violates citizens’ right to speech and expression. The ban on X has been in place since February, when the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan announced a nationwide protest against alleged election rigging ahead of the Feb. 8 vote that allowed Sharif to come to power. “We demand that the ban on X, which is known as Twitter, should immediately be lifted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to stop any further violation of human rights,” said Farhatullah Babar, who’s a senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party. The PPP is an important member of the coalition that allowed Sharif to form a government in March.