Twitter withholds Pakistan government's account in India

Representational image.

Twitter has withheld the official account of the Pakistan government in India while responding to a blocking order of the Indian government.

The Government of Pakistan Twitter account cannot be viewed in India, however, those using the microblogging site outside the country can access it.

Other Twitter accounts to have been suspended include those of the embassy of Pakistan in Egypt, embassy of Pakistan in Iran, the permanent mission of Pakistan to the United Nations and Radio Pakistan.

A Lumen Database disclosure from June 26 lists these accounts as having been suspended in the country.

Twitter is locked in a legal battle with the Indian government regarding similar orders issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)

In a petition in the Karnataka High Court, the social media platform argued that some of the orders did not meet the requirements of the Sec 69A of the IT Act 2000 and  MeitY was disproportionately using its power by asking Twitter to block some accounts.

During a recent hearing, Twitter argued that 50-60 percent of tweets that were asked by the government to be blocked were "innocuous".

However, the government is seeking dismissal of the case on the grounds of maintainability—that Twitter is a foreign registered body and cannot seek to defend articles 14, 19 or 21 of the Constitution like “citizens of India” or “natural persons”.  These provisions pertain to freedom of expression, disseminating information, protection of liberty and equality before law.