The Islamabad District and Sessions Court temporarily lifted restrictions on prominent journalists Matiullah Jan and Asad Toor’s YouTube channels on Friday. Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka suspended the earlier blocking order during the hearings of appeals filed by both journalists.
The court’s decision came after lawyers demonstrated that the original ban, which affected 27 channels, was implemented without completing proper legal procedures. Counsel for the journalists successfully argued that their clients’ constitutional right to a fair hearing under Article 10-A was violated when Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah ordered the blocks at the request of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
Read: Islamabad Court Blocks 27 YouTube Channels for Anti-State Content
Court documents reveal the judge found merit in the journalists’ claims that they received no prior notice nor opportunity to defend their content before the restriction was imposed. The one-page rulings on each appeal emphasised these due process failures while temporarily restoring channel access.
Legal experts view this interim order as an important affirmation of digital media rights in Pakistan. “This suspension acknowledges the fundamental principle that content restrictions require proper judicial process,” explained media rights advocate Sarah Zaman. “The court has rightly prioritised constitutional protections over administrative convenience.”
The case has been adjourned until July 21, when the cybercrime agency must present its response. This development follows growing concerns about digital censorship in Pakistan, where several journalists and commentators have faced similar platform restrictions in recent months.
