Social media services across Pakistan were severely disrupted Sunday night as the party of embattled former prime minister Imran Khan prepared to launch an online campaign ahead of crucial general elections next month.
This disruption came as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) planned a massive national and global telethon Sunday evening to launch its manifesto and raise campaign funds. “The incident is consistent with previous social media filtering events which have all been imposed during opposition party rallies or speeches by opposition leader Imran Khan,” said Netblocks, a watchdog that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance.
⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to social media platforms across #Pakistan, including X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube; the incident comes as persecuted former PM Imran Khan’s party, PTI, launches its election fundraising telethon pic.twitter.com/QIBGcxGty3— NetBlocks (@netblocks) January 7, 2024
Khan and most senior leaders of his PTI have been rejected as candidates for the February 8 vote in what they say is a campaign by the military-led establishment to thwart their participation. Netblocks Director Alp Toker told AFP the disruptions were affecting network providers across the country. “Such nation-scale social media targeting political activities is almost unprecedented at this scale –- Venezuela is one other country that has used similar measures to limit opposition speeches and rallies,” he said.
The Human Rights Council of Pakistan condemned the disruption as “a violation of international law”. “In the context of elections, all political parties should get the basic right of freedom of expression. It is the responsibility of the government of Pakistan to uphold the fundamental rights,” it said on X.
Suspension of Internet and other source of communication is a violation of international law. Suspension of internet services is also a violation of fundamental rights. Slowing down of internet service and blocking of social media websites to prevent political activities in… https://t.co/FANCEy0XjX— Human Rights Council of Pakistan (@HRCPOfficial) January 7, 2024
The cricketer-turned-politician was ousted last year after falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military leaders who backed him into power in 2018. In opposition, he waged a campaign against the powerful military establishment.
Khan, 71 accused them of engineering his removal from office in a no-confidence vote via a US-backed bid, and of plotting an assassination attempt that saw him wounded. After Khan’s brief detention in May sparked unrest, PTI has been the subject of a widespread crackdown, with leading figures either jailed or deserting the party.
(With agency inputs)
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