Pakistan has temporarily blocked access to popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. The action was taken just before a "virtual jalsa" organised by supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Reports of difficulty accessing social media surfaced in major cities such as Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad shortly after 8 pm local time. Users also expressed frustration with slow internet services during the disruption.
According to the internet monitor Netblocks, a nationwide disruption in social media platforms occurred on Sunday night, coinciding with the PTI's online event.
The "virtual power show" kicked off at 9 pm, and Netblocks described the incident as a "nation-scale disruption" to platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
This disruption comes as Pakistan was recently ranked third globally for imposing internet restrictions in the first half of 2023.
Pakistan is set to hold general elections on 8 February 2024, determining the composition of the 16th National Assembly.
