Pakistan blocks X for 6 days as activists criticize shutdown of social media platform

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s media regulator has blocked social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, with users across the country enduring six days of mass disruption, partial and complete shutdowns.

Pakistan Telecommunications Authority had no comment on the outage, and government officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press.

Human rights activists are demanding full restoration of internet services and access to social media. The US government asked Pakistan to lift restrictions on X.

The hurdle was first observed over the weekend, when Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party announced protests that it said the February 8 parliamentary elections were fraudulent.

In the vote, candidates backed by Khan, who was barred from running, won most seats but fell short of the simple majority needed to form a government.

Social media platforms are often used by protest organizers to call supporters on the streets and disseminate information about planned demonstrations.

Political instability has increased in Pakistan since the vote. The country’s election watchdog has denied Mr. Khan’s party’s accusations that votes were stolen. Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (TPI) said on Thursday that the restrictions on X were imposed by authorities to suppress speech on social media.

In a statement to reporters on Wednesday, US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller expressed concern about the disruption and restrictions on freedom of expression and association in Pakistan.

“We continue to call on Pakistan to respect freedom of expression and restore access to restricted social media, including Twitter, currently known as X,” Miller said. “We have and will continue to emphasize the importance of respecting these fundamental freedoms.” In an interaction with Pakistani officials. ”

Mr Khan’s rivals, including former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, are seeking to form a coalition government. Sharif replaced Khan after he was ousted in a 2022 vote of no confidence in parliament. Mr. Khan has since been convicted of what his supporters called a politically motivated move to remove him from office.