The PTI has alleged that its websites are being blocked in Pakistan and has demanded an answer from federal authorities. The party, which has been deprived of its iconic ‘bat’ symbol for the upcoming polls, has fielded its leaders as independent candidates with different electoral symbols.
In response to the confusion among voters and to provide access to election-related information, the party has launched an online portal on its website insaf.pk, as well as a “back-up site,” pticandidates.com. It has also introduced a feature allowing voters to message on Imran Khan’s official Facebook account to get information about PTI-backed candidates.
The party’s official account tagged the official handles of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), interim information minister Murtaza Solangi, and interim IT minister Umar Saif. The PTI asked for an explanation as to why its websites are blocked and pointed out that people are still getting symbol information from Imran Khan’s Facebook page.
The issue comes after a fake web portal emerged, providing incorrect information to voters. Additionally, there have been multiple countrywide internet outages coinciding with the party’s online events. The party has urged the Supreme Court to take notice of the internet suspension.
The interim government has blamed “technical” issues and system installations for the disruptions, and there is “no guarantee” that such incidents would not occur in the future. PTA Director General Ahmed Shamim Pirzada has attributed the outages to “technical glitches” and system upgrades, warning that they may continue for the next two to three months.