ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said this week social media in Pakistan needed to be regulated following May 9 riots in which military, government and private properties were attacked by protesters last month in violence that he believed was planned online.

Popular opposition leader and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest in a land fraud case last month sparked widespread protests by his supporters who ransacked military facilities, as well as state buildings and private properties. The violence subsided only after Khan was released on an order by Pakistan’s Supreme Court.

At least 10 people were killed in clashes between Khan’s supporters and police and since then, more than 5,000 people have been arrested in connection with the riots. Most have been freed on bail pending trial.

Pakistan’s military said Monday that it has fired three senior army officers over their failure to prevent the attacks.

“It should be done,” Asif said in an interview when asked if social media should be regulated.

“Social media is regulated in Europe, China, United States, in all places social media has some rules, some regulatory framework, it is monitored but here, on social media people are incited to revolt against the state,” he said, adding that the “script” of the May 9 violence was prepared on social media.

Immediately after unrest began following Khan’s arrest on May 9, the Ministry of Interior suspended mobile broadband services across the country and blocked access to Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for at least a week. Khan often uses social media platforms to address his supporters and has a massive social media following and very organized online team.

Khan has also disappeared from all mainstream news channels in the country after the media regulator this month asked networks to block out people involved in rioting. Coverage of the former prime minister — Pakistan’s most popular leader according to polls — has disappeared to the extent that his name and image are not being aired. His mention has also disappeared from many news websites.

The ban comes amidst a wider crackdown on Khan and his party that has seen dozens of his party members and thousands of his supporters arrested, which, he says, is being done by the country’s powerful military. The army says it is not cracking down on political activity but will only punish those that attacked military properties. 

Leading his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in opposition, Khan remains staggeringly popular and has crafted a campaign accusing the government and army of colluding to keep him out of power, lock him up and even assassinate him. 

Khan came to power in 2018 marketing himself as a political outsider and riding a pioneering wave of social media enthusiasm to challenge the country’s two main dynastic parties, who between them have ruled Pakistan for decades.

Last April, after having lost the key support of Pakistan’s powerful military — which has itself ruled the country directly for more than three decades — he was ousted in a no-confidence vote.

The ensuing political chaos has exacerbated an economic downturn that has seen decades-high inflation, the rupee tumbling to record lows and deadlocked bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.

Last month’s Internet outage has added to those woes, costing Pakistan as much as $53 million a day according to global Internet monitor NetBlocks, with mobile data coverage powering economic transactions, including credit and debit card point-of-sale terminals.