Pakistan urges Twitter to reopen access to its accounts in India

Islamabad has lodged a protest with Twitter alleging that New Delhi blocked access to the accounts of Pakistan’s diplomatic missions to the United Nations, Iran, Turkey and Egypt in India.

Citing New Delhi’s move to block access to accounts affiliated to the Government of Pakistan on Twitter, Islamabad expressed concern over New Delhi’s alleged attempts to limit access to information in India.

“Diminishing space for plurality of voices & (and) access to info in #India is extremely alarming,” the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Pakistan posted on Twitter. “SM (social media) platforms must abide by applicable int’l (international) norms,” he added, urging Twitter to immediately restore access to the accounts of the Government of Pakistan in India and “ensure adherence to democratic freedoms of speech and expression”.

The spokesperson earlier alleged that New Delhi had blocked flow of information by withholding access to the four accounts of the Government of Pakistan on Twitter – @PakinIran, @PakinTurkey, @PakinEgypt and @PakistanUN_NY – in India. “These are in addition to many others for which access has been blocked,” he added.