ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — On Sunday, Pakistan experienced a widespread internet outage and disruptions to social media platforms. The incident occurred as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, planned to launch its fundraising campaign for the upcoming general elections.
Global internet observatory NetBlocks confirmed the disruptions to social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, on a nationwide scale. NetBlocks stated, “Confirmed: Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to social media platforms across #Pakistan…as persecuted former PM Imran Khan’s party, PTI, launches its election fundraising telethon.”
⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to social media platforms across #Pakistan, including X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube; the incident comes as persecuted former PM Imran Khan's party, PTI, launches its election fundraising telethon pic.twitter.com/QIBGcxGty3
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) January 7, 2024
Reports indicate that PTI had scheduled a virtual fundraising campaign and manifesto launch at 9 pm. However, by 6 pm, users in various parts of the country reported difficulties accessing social media platforms and complained about slow internet services. Platforms affected included Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
HRCP Condemns
The Human Rights Council condemned the disruption, emphasizing that all political parties have the fundamental right to freedom of expression during elections. The HRCP urged the Government of Pakistan to uphold these fundamental rights.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) later stated that internet services had been “completely restored,” denying any complaints of an internet outage.
