The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered the federal government, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to file detailed reports on the enforcement of laws against online harassment, blackmail and the unauthorized sharing of private material.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir issued the interim order following a petition by Dr Raana Ahsan, noting that the case raised significant public-interest questions about online safety, misuse of electronic, digital and broadcast media, the efficacy of current regulatory mechanisms and the protection of citizens' fundamental rights.
The order referenced PTA data on compliance with requests to block illegal content: 59.01% for security and defence, 79.51% for terrorism-related material, 76.28% for contempt of court, 76.54% for content against the glory of Islam, 40.38% for defamation or impersonation, 98.91% for decency and morality, and 67.43% for sectarian or hate speech.
By platform, compliance rates were 48.42% for Twitter, 78.57% for Facebook, 79.52% for Instagram, 87.34% for YouTube and 88.68% for TikTok. The court said these figures needed a thorough explanation.
According to the PTA report, social-media firms were asked to meet registration requirements and appoint local compliance and grievance officers after rules were issued in October 2021, but no affirmative response has been received.
The PTA explained that its limited powers restrict it to asking platforms to remove content or to take technical measures, and that operators often refuse, citing their community guidelines.
The court noted that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, provides for a Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority (SMRA) with duties that include online safety, user-rights protection, platform regulation and enlistment, and the removal or blocking of unlawful content, as well as binding directions, a Social Media Protection Tribunal and a Social Media Complaint Council.
All respondents were directed to report on steps taken to implement legal provisions concerning online safety, unlawful content, child protection, harassment prevention, blackmail deterrence and complaint redress, and to explain compliance statistics, follow-up actions on non-compliance and proposals for better enforcement.
The PTA was specifically asked to clarify the practical and legal challenges it faces in enforcing its directions, why coercive provisions were not used, what actions were taken to invoke them, and why registration requirements have not been effectively applied.
The court also ordered the federal government, via the Interior Secretary, to convene a meeting of the Ministry of Information Technology, Pemra, PTA, NCCIA and other relevant bodies to identify coordination gaps, clarify statutory duties and devise a coordinated enforcement mechanism.
The meeting will also review the difficulties noted in the PTA report, legal remedies against non-compliant platforms and steps to ensure swift complaint handling. Participants must be officials familiar with the legal framework and authorized to propose practical measures.
A joint report must then be submitted outlining the discussions, identified shortcomings, agreed measures, assigned responsibilities and an implementation plan with a timeline.
Each respondent must also point out any legislative, administrative, technical or institutional obstacles and the actions taken or proposed to address them, supported by relevant notifications, directions, policies and correspondence.
The court clarified that the directions aim to facilitate effective law implementation and do not require any authority to exceed its statutory mandate or ignore procedural safeguards. The matter is scheduled for a further hearing on November 23, 2026.
