Pakistan: Mobile Net Suspended, Social Media Restricted As Protests Turn Violent Over Imran Khan's Arrest

Imran Khan Arrest: Protests at several places in Pakistan turned violent as Imran Khan's supporters burnt police vehicles and damaged public property.

Men on a bike ride past a burning police vehicle during a protest by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party activists in Quetta

Source : Getty

Pakistan on Tuesday suspended mobile internet across the country as violents protests erupted across several cities following the dramatic arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan outside the Islamabad High Court. Moreover, Netblocks, an organisation that tracks internet outages, said access to Twitter, Facebook and Youtube was restricted across Pakistan, a report in Dawn said.

Amnesty International said it was alarmed by reports that Pakistani authorities have suspended mobile internet and access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

"This restricts people’s access to information and freedom of expression. We call upon the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority and Interior Ministry to immediately reverse this ban," it tweeted.

The development comes as thousands of supporters of Imran Khan held nationwide protests and blocked streets demanding the release of the PTI chairman. 

Absolute mayhem prevailed on the streets of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan as protesters resorted to stone pelting on houses, offices and vehicles, burning banners and tyres and blocking roads.

READ | Imran Khan Arrest: Protesters Storm Army HQ In Rawalpindi, Commander's Residence In Lahore

A section of protesters also stormed the Pakistan Army headquarters in Rawalpindi and set on fire the Corps Commander's residence in Lahore.

The agitators smashed the main gate of the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi even as troops exercised restraint and used tear gas to disperse the mob. The protesters also chanted slogans against the establishment.

In Lahore, a large number of PTI activists stormed into the Corps Commander Lahore residence and smashed the gate and window panes. They later set the building on fire.

Violent protests also fanned out to Karachi and Hyderabad in Sindh province and Balochistan's Quetta where PTI protesters assembled outside Army cantonment areas.

A large number of PTI workers also pelted stones at the residence of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah in Faisalabad city.

Sanaullah later tweeted that people trespassing and damaging private and public properties would be dealt with "an iron hand". He said that security forces had been directed to deal with "miscreants and goons" according to the law, Dawn reported.

Earlier in the day, dramatic scenes prevailed outside the Islamabad High Court as Imran Khan was arrested by a huge contingent of paramilitary Rangers. Imran had gone to the court to attend the hearing in the Al-Qadir Trust case in which it has been alleged that the PTI chief and his wife obtained billions of rupees from a real estate firm for legalising Rs 50 billion.

In a video shared by Dr Shahzad Waseem, the Leader of the Opposition in Pakistan, the former cricketer is seen surrounded by a crowd of security personnel dressed in black riot gear and dragged by the collar into a police vehicle.