The Sindh High Court expressed displeasure over a change in the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority's (PTA) stance during a hearing regarding the review of the statement regarding withdrawal of the Interior Ministry's notification on the closure of X (formerly Twitter).
Chief Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui led the proceedings, questioning the PTA's change of stance and calling it either "professional misconduct or misrepresentation."
He demanded to know who had issued the instructions for the PTA to alter its position, expressing certainty that such instructions had been given. He said the deputy attorney general also remained silent during this exchange, while the PTA chairman could also be summoned.
Addressing the PTA's lawyer, Chief Justice Siddiqui stated that either the PTA or its legal counsel could face contempt of court for this misrepresentation. The deputy attorney general took the stance that the mistake was unintentional, and the misunderstanding occurred due to the pressure of cases.
"This is not a human error. The PTA lawyer could have chosen to remain silent because nobody asked him, but instead voluntarily issued the disputed statement," the court remarked.
The chief justice also questioned why the PTA is now seeking a review of the court’s previous order, insisting that if a revision is allowed, it would have to be heard by the same bench that issued the original ruling.
"The second PTA lawyer says no such instructions were given, yet you stuck to your stance. You want the court to review the order?" the CJ asked.
The deputy attorney general informed the court that the petition pertains to the withdrawal or modification of the court’s earlier decision. However, the chief justice remarked that the order was neither being withdrawn nor amended at this point.
The court adjourned the hearing until September 24, consolidating the PTA’s petition with other related applications.
