Under pressure from local media and global social media companies, the government changed course and decided to halt the implementation of the new social media law.
The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) wrote to Prime Minister Imran Khan about social media regulation, stating that the new social media rules in Pakistan would be difficult for its members to follow.
According to the letter, the rules would also affect ordinary users and businesses, and the closure of Google, Facebook and Twitter would impact millions of users.
According to sources, the Prime Minister directed a revision of the rules on February 15, following a letter expressing strong reservations about them. The federal government decided to stop implementing the new social media rules, and the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Major General Aamir Azim Bajwa, was tasked with reviewing them and consulting stakeholders. A four-member committee was formed to submit its report to the Prime Minister within two weeks.
Registration Requirements
Under the new rules, registration of all global social media platforms in Pakistan was mandatory within three months, covering companies including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Dailymotion.
The rules also required all social media companies to set up an office in Islamabad within three months and to appoint a liaison officer in Pakistan.
Data Server Requirements
According to sources, all social media platforms would have had to build their own data servers in Pakistan within a year.
It was also decided to create a National Coordination Authority to regulate social media companies. This authority would be able to close accounts over harassment, targeting of institutions, and prohibited content.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Companies that did not follow the rules faced fines of up to Rs 50 crore.
The rules also allowed action against companies that failed to remove flagged videos, and their services could be suspended if they did not cooperate.
The Ministry of IT said the new rules had been made part of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and that implementation had begun. However, sources later said the government had stopped implementing them.
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