Lahore High Court Sends Smart Glasses Summary to Cabinet, Calls Law Officers in Children’s Social Media Case

The Lahore High Court has told the federal government to put its prepared summary on camera-and-microphone smart glasses before the federal cabinet. Hearing a public interest petition by citizen Husnainul Abideen on Thursday, Chief Justice Aalia Neelum was informed that the commerce ministry is preparing regulations to ban the import of Meta glasses and that a summary is ready. The government’s law officer conceded that no policy on such devices had existed before.

A warning on privacy

The chief justice’s concern was plainly about privacy. She remarked that in the days ahead no one’s privacy would remain, and asked what the government had done while the glasses were openly on sale in shops. The case returns on November 12, by which time the summary is to have gone to the cabinet.

Children and social media, the same morning

A second petition heard the same day asks for a ban on social media use by children under 16. Petitioner Allayah Saleem argues that children in Pakistan use these platforms with no effective check on access and are being harmed by it, pointing to restrictions already imposed in Australia, Brazil and Italy. The attorney general and the Punjab advocate general, who had been summoned to assist, did not appear, citing engagements before the Supreme Court. The chief justice expressed her displeasure and directed both to be present on November 12.