The Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to submit detailed reports on measures to combat cybercrime and unlawful online content.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir issued the directions while hearing a petition filed by Dr Raana Ahsan against the federation and others. The court also directed the interior secretary to arrange a coordination meeting among relevant institutions to address concerns over the misuse of digital and broadcast media and barriers to enforcing laws against online harm.
The PTA’s report showed varying compliance rates for requests to block unlawful content. Compliance stood at 98.91% for content related to decency and morality, 59.01% for national security and defence, 40.38% for defamation and impersonation, and 64.43% for sectarian and hate-related content. Terrorism-related content had a reported implementation rate of 79.51%, while content concerning the sanctity of Islam had a rate of 76.54%.
Platform-specific compliance rates included 48.42% for X, 78.57% for Facebook, 79.52% for Instagram, 87.34% for YouTube and 88.68% for TikTok.
The PTA reported challenges in enforcing regulations, citing social media companies’ lack of response to registration requirements and the appointment of local compliance and grievance officers. The authority also mentioned limited regulatory powers and frequent refusals by platforms to remove content.
The court questioned whether authorities were effectively exercising their powers under the Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) Act, 1996, and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and stressed the need for efficient complaint handling and enforcement against online harassment and blackmail.
The IHC also directed the Ministry of Information Technology, PEMRA, PTA, NCCIA and other relevant institutions to identify legal, administrative and technical obstacles, report measures taken to address them and outline areas requiring inter-agency coordination.
