After reports that X, formerly Twitter, had been banned in Pakistan, Pakistan's Interior Ministry confirmed on Monday it indeed acts against Elon Musk-owned app amid ongoing political turmoil in the region.

Pakistani officials originally pulled the plug on X back in February in the lead-up to the nation's general election, although no official action was announced at that time.

Now the Interior Ministry confirms that X has been banned in the region because the platform "has failed to adhere to the lawful directives of the government of Pakistan, and address concerns regarding the misuse of its platform."

"The decision to ban Twitter/X in Pakistan was taken in the interest of national security, public order, and the integrity of our nation."

Although it has not shared any details yet.

Pakistan has been experiencing street protest protests since the February election, which the former Prime Minister Imran Khan said was engineered against his supporters. Activists say that the X ban is meant to "quash dissent" and supress claims of interference in the result.
Pakistan has a very long history of internet censorship, having at various points banned different social platforms within the region as part of a broader set of measures to mitigate angst and unrest. Whereas officials in India requested, as part of its own request for content-specific censorship related to users and posts, full-service restrictions, Pakistani officials are more likely to rely on the latter, although the impetus driving both countries is essentially the same.

It is not clear if or when X will be re-activated in the region, or what X needs to do to meet Pakistani officials' requests.

X has reportedly around 4.5 million users in the region.