The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) issued a statement on the internet shutdown in the country.
In a statement issued by the PTA, it has been said that the suspension of internet service in the country is for an indefinite period.
The PTA said that the internet service has been suspended on the request of the Home Department.
Videos of violent protests were widely shared on social media platforms after unrest broke out following the former prime minister’s arrest, leading to the blocking of mobile broadband services.
“With Pakistan already ranking among the world’s worst countries in terms of Internet access, Tuesday’s outage was nothing short of a shambolic turn of events. It is unfortunate that whenever the political climate in the country heats up, such a measure is viewed to be a necessity, when in truth it robs the people of the fundamental right of access to information that is guaranteed by law,” an academic researcher who contributed to the report Pakistan’s Internet Landscape 2022.
Imran Khan was taken into custody by Rangers soldiers a day earlier from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) grounds in connection with an arrest warrant issued by the National Accountability Bureau in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
In addition, there was damage to government property in Rawalpindi and Lahore. Many users in Pakistan reported being unable to access social media sites in the evening several hours later. Users on all three platforms were unable to enter into their accounts, preventing them from posting or viewing anything.
