On Tuesday, social media apps including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram reportedly went down in several parts of Pakistan following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan. The outage-tracking website Downdetector.com confirmed that users were unable to log in to their accounts on all three platforms, meaning they also couldn’t post or view anything. Additionally, many smartphone users reported that their WhatsApp app was not working on both desktop and cellphone devices.
Downdetector tracks outages by a collating status report from a series of sources, including user-submitted errors on its platform. The outage could have affected a larger number of users. The suspension of social media platforms and WhatsApp came soon after workers and followers of the PTI started holding countrywide protests following Imran Khan’s arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rangers personnel arrested the former prime minister from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) – acting on National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) warrant. Following his arrest, the PTI urged supporters all across Pakistan to protest and “block all roads, close all shops.” Subsequently, PTI workers held protests in several cities, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan.
Protesters reportedly caused damage to public property in several cities, including Rawalpindi and Lahore. In Karachi, demonstrators clashed with the police near Nursery, throwing stones, setting fire to police vehicles, tearing down street lights, and damaging a bus. There were reports that police fired tear gas shells at the protesters.
The suspension of social media platforms in Pakistan has raised concerns about censorship and freedom of expression. Many Pakistanis have taken to social media to express their disappointment and frustration over the outage. It remains unclear when the platforms will be restored and if this will be a temporary or permanent measure.
