Pakistan Temporarily Block Social Media After Receiving Bad Report
ISLAMABAD: The services of the social media platforms Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and Telegram were restored in Pakistan on Friday after being suspended for four hours. What kind of national emergency are we facing that the government temporarily banned all social media media? These arbitrary decisions about bans and prohibitions never did anything good, but opened up opportunities for blanket bans. PTA blocked social media from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday. After a special report was sent to Imran Khan and the platforms were restored after 4 hours
The suspension came over protests by a religious party in the country, which resulted in chaos and the deaths of three people, including two police officers who were at the helm. The protests, which were organized in various cities, also caused massive traffic jams and unrest in the United States. The Pakistani Ministry of the Interior has ordered the Pakistani Telecommunications Authority to apply the ban across the country with immediate effect. This means that people living in Pakistan cannot use social media over cellular data or broadband or Wi-Fi connections on any device including smartphones and laptops. Given the ongoing chaos in Pakistan, the government expects massive outbreaks of violence across the country after today's Friday prayers. Right-wing hardliners in Pakistan are expected to conduct these protests across the country, and the government believes that access to social media will help them organize the protests as effectively as possible. The protests in Pakistan have been going on for some time after the leader of the radical Islamist party Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan was arrested. In cities like Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, protesters have brought business and daily activities to a standstill. Blocking social media is a measure the government believes is preventing these rights from conducting coordinated protests. Unless the Pakistani government decides to extend the ban, Internet users in the country should be able to use WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram after 3 p.m. Local time (3:30 p.m. CET) today. Initially, only access to all social media platforms should be blocked, without specifying how long the ban should remain in force. However, the Home Office later sent a circular to the PTA mentioning the duration of the ban.
While internet users in Pakistan cannot access social media, they can still visit banned websites such as Google. Almost all websites that could be accessed in Pakistan would continue to work, with the exception of those that the government has imposed on the ban. This means that Internet users in Pakistan can visit government websites, school and university websites, and other information websites on the Internet.
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