A nationwide disruption of social media platforms was experienced during a virtual event organized by the PTI on Saturday. The Internet monitoring agency Netblocks confirmed the disruption, including platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The agency described the outage as “remarkably systematic” and “consistent with previous restrictions imposed during PTI events.”
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) later stated that the interruption was caused by a technical fault, which has been rectified with internet services fully restored nationwide.
Users in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad reported difficulty accessing social media platforms during the event, similar to a disruption that occurred on January 7 during a virtual fundraising telethon.
In response to the disruption, the PTI criticized the caretakers causing damage to Pakistanis and urged the Supreme Court to take notice of the suspension of internet service and blockage of social media websites during their events.
Lawyer and rights activist Jibran Nasir criticized the frequent nationwide internet disruptions, calling it a violation of constitutional rights and digital rights activist Usama Khilji called the action “absolutely ridiculous” and questioned the legal authority and impact on the digital economy.