https://arab.news/wsvkx
- Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party announced it will hold a virtual fundraising telethon, manifesto launch at 9pm
- But netizens complained of disruptions at around 6pm and said they were unable to access social media platforms
ISLAMABAD: Social media users faced disruptions across Pakistan on Sunday ahead of a virtual fundraiser by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, an independent Internet watchdog said.
Earlier in the day, Khan’s party announced on X messaging platform it would hold a virtual fundraising telethon and a manifesto launch at 9pm Pakistan time.
However, netizens complained of disruptions at around 6pm and said they were unable to access social media platforms across the country.
“Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to social media platforms across #Pakistan, including X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube,” NetBlocks, a London-based Internet watchdog, said on X.
“The incident comes as persecuted former PM Imran Khan’s party, PTI, launches its election fundraising telethon.”
There was no word from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which regulates Internet services and social media platforms in the country, on the social media disruptions.
Pakistan experienced similar disruptions last month when Khan’s party held an online rally.
Khan, a 71-year-old former cricket star, has been embroiled in a tangle of political and legal battles since he was ousted as prime minister in April 2022. He has not been seen in public since he was jailed for three years in August for unlawfully selling state gifts while in office from 2018 to 2022.
The ex-premier, who denies any wrongdoing and says the charges against him are “politically motivated,” has accused Pakistan’s powerful military, the caretaker government and his political rivals of colluding to keep him and his party away from elections. All three deny the allegation.