KARACHI: Access to social media websites Twitter and Facebook will remain restricted in Pakistan until further orders from the interior ministry, a spokesperson of the country’s telecom regulator said on Sunday.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior on Tuesday night suspended mobile broadband services and temporarily cut off access to online platforms Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube as unrest spread across the country following former prime minister Imran Khan's arrest.
Thousands of Khan supporters took to the streets across Pakistan on Tuesday, clashing with law enforcers, burning tyres, and attacking military installations in many parts of the country to protest their leader's arrest.
While mobile broadband services were restored after Khan was granted bail in several cases and released from jail, social media websites remained inaccessible in Pakistan.
“Mobile broadband services have been restored, only social media access has been restricted,” the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) spokesperson Malahat Obaid told Arab News, adding that access would only be granted if the interior ministry issues directives to do so.
Pakistan’s Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Syed Aminul Haque, said he is trying to resolve the issue by speaking to authorities. He hoped Pakistanis would soon be able to access Facebook and Twitter again.
“I am personally against a ban, suspension, or restriction on any social media,” Haque told Arab News. “The PTA, however, doesn't come under my ministry. It directly comes under the cabinet division,” he added.
“But I am trying to remove restrictions on access by taking it up with relevant quarters,” the minister added.
Bans on social media websites Twitter and Facebook are common in Pakistan in the wake of unrest in the country or in blasphemy cases. In February this year, Pakistan blocked the online encyclopedia Wikipedia for a couple of days, accusing the platform of displaying “blasphemous content” on its platform.
The South Asian country has also frequently banned the short-video platform TikTok over charges that it promotes indecency.
“When TikTok and PUBG were banned during the previous regime of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, I raised my voice against it,” Haque said. "When Wikipedia was recently banned, I removed the ban within 24 hours,” he added.
Haque, however, said he was also against the negative use of social media.
“As I am against banning and restrictions, I also oppose the negative use of social media for propaganda and inciting violence,” Haque said. “I strongly condemn the attack on the monuments of [Pakistan Army] martyrs and ghazis (victorious warriors),” he said.
Reports in Pakistani media said the telecommunication sector had suffered a loss of $2.85m since Tuesday while ride-hailing apps and online food and grocery delivery service foodpanda are also said to have suffered losses due to the internet shutdown.
