Social Media Access Being Restored In Pakistan After Violence Over Imran Khan’s Arrest: Report

The restoration of access to social media came amid a claim by the Pakistan Telecom Authority that they have received any orders yet to shut internet services in the country again

Access to social media sites is being restored in Pakistan/Representational Image

Source : Getty Images

A week after access to social media sites YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter was restricted in Pakistan following widespread violence, the same is being restored now, as per local media. The restoration of access to social media came amid a claim by the Pakistan Telecom Authority that they have received any orders yet to shut internet services in the country again, as per a report by Samaa. 

PTA also said that mobile internet services have been restored across the country, while the decision to reopen social media sites has not been taken yet, as per the report. 

Services of Youtube, Facebook, Twitter are still down.

The access to these social media sites was restricted on Tuesday after former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf chief Imran Khan was arrested in a graft case. 

Following the arrest by the country's National Accountability Bureau in the Al Qadir Trust case, the PTI supporters took to the roads to protest against the move. The demonstrations soon turned violent as the protestors set fire to the house of an army corps commander in Lahore and stormed the army general headquarters in Rawalpindi. 

In view of the deteriorating situation, the Interior Ministry decided to shut the internet across the country. 

In a statement on Saturday, the PTA said that the internet services were being restored countrywide, but the suspension of social media apps continued, and a decision regarding their restoration is yet to be made.

The suspension of social media sites was initially imposed by government authorities, citing concerns over the spread of misinformation and its potential impact on public order and safety.

The decision to restore social media would be taken by the Ministry of Interior, Rana Sanaullah, the PTA added, said the report.