‘Internet suspended for indefinite period’

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday said that internet services across the country would remain suspended for an indefinite period.

The PTA said that the Ministry of Interior issued the directives to block mobile broadband services.

A day earlier, the services were shut down as protests erupted after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest from the Islamabad High Court premises in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Major social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, were also reportedly down for many users in Pakistan as they were unable to access these platforms since Tuesday.

Videos of violent protests were shared widely on social media platforms after protests boiled over onto the streets following the Imran’s arrest, after which mobile broadband services were blocked.

The PTA spokesperson had said that reports regarding social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, being down were received. However, these reports could not be confirmed, the spokesperson added.