Overview
- The Lahore High Court issued a written order distinguishing fair critique of rulings from organised efforts to malign judges and warned against retaliatory enforcement.
- The court directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to seek takedowns from Facebook, X and other platforms and to block accounts identified by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
- Judges noted that material created or shared from abroad remains actionable under Pakistani law and instructed agencies to continue tracing and removal efforts.
- NCCIA told the court it has identified about 170 suspect accounts, traced 14 individuals through NADRA and arrested eight people, with cases registered in Lahore and Multan.
- PTA informed the bench that 53 institutions can file takedown requests via its portal, it cannot block individual links on secured platforms, and VPN use complicates access restrictions, as the case was adjourned to Jan. 22.