Internet service affected across country

Internet service is reported to have been affected nationwide on Saturday evening.

Complaints of interruption in internet service have also been reported in cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta.

The interruption has led users to face difficulties in accessing Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube and X sites.

Several users have complained about the lack of access to social media, but no statement or reason has yet been issued by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.

On the other hand, the internet monitor, Netblocks reported a nationwide disruption to social media platforms on Saturday amid a virtual event organised by the PTI.

“Confirmed: Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to social media platforms across Pakistan, including X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube,” the internet tracking agency said at 7:12 pm local time.

“The incident comes as persecuted opposition leader Imran Khan’s political party, PTI, launches its second virtual gathering,” It added.

⚠️ 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 opposition leader Imran Khan's political party, PTI, launches its second virtual gathering pic.twitter.com/lwl24Kv5td

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) January 20, 2024

“We can confirm the nation-scale restriction of social media platforms across Pakistan,” said Netblocks Director Alp Toker.

It may be noted that on the evening of January 7, access to other social media sites including Facebook, YouTube and X (the new name of Twitter) was stopped, while web browsing was also slowed down.