The social media platform X, formerly Twitter, experienced disruptions in
Pakistan
for three consecutive days following a general election tainted by rigging allegations. The platform’s services were suspended on Saturday night after a high-ranking government official publicly acknowledged vote manipulation in the polls held on February 8.
“Since Saturday, X has been unavailable in Pakistan as it is a tool used by the public to voice their protests,” stated Usama Khilji, a digital rights activist, in a conversation with AFP.
Reports from AFP staff confirmed that the app was still inaccessible in major cities including Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi on Tuesday.
The telecommunications and interior ministries of Pakistan did not provide any comments when asked about the situation.
Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party, whose leader is currently imprisoned, called for nationwide protests following the confession of vote rigging on Saturday. A handful of supporters responded by demonstrating in urban areas.
Despite facing a crackdown that lasted several months, restricting its campaign activities and compelling candidates to run as independents, PTI managed to secure more seats than any other party with the backing of PTI-supported candidates.
However, PTI has shown reluctance to form a coalition with its rivals, thereby allowing the PML-N party to establish the upcoming government.
On the day of the election, mobile internet services were suspended nationwide due to security concerns raised by the interior ministry. This blackout, along with the significant delay in announcing the results, led to further rigging allegations.
PTI also encountered online censorship during the election campaign. Bytes For All, a Pakistani internet freedom watchdog, documented four separate social media blackouts in January, each lasting several hours. These blackouts cut off access to TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube while PTI was live-streaming to its followers.
The government attributed these blackouts to “technical difficulties”. In January, the party’s main website was also blocked, and within a few hours, an almost identical site appeared, except it contained misleading information designed to confuse voters.
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