The Lahore High Court has mandated the Attorney General of Pakistan to appear in person on April 17 for the hearing of petitions filed against the ban on X (formerly Twitter).

The court has requested the Attorney General to clarify the stances of both the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the federal government on the issue.

A three-member bench, presided over by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, reviewed the applications from journalist Shaqir Awan and other petitioners.

The bench also included Justice Farooq Haider and Justice Ali Zia Bajwa. During the proceedings, the Additional Attorney General stated that it is “not possible” to provide a list of government officials who use X.

The Additional Attorney General mentioned that although the PTA has submitted a report regarding the ban, it is not feasible to provide a list of Twitter users among government officials.

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Advocate Azhar Siddique raised concerns in court about inconsistencies between the federal government’s and PTA’s positions, noting that no written response has been received from the federal government on this matter.

In response, Chief Justice Aalia Neelum remarked that “there is no concept of being on the same page in court; neither you nor the court is on the same page.”

The court stressed the importance of the Attorney General coming prepared to address all legal aspects of the case. The hearing was subsequently adjourned until April 17.