Social media platform X faces more disruptions in Pakistan

Popular microblogging site ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, had its services disrupted in Pakistan on Monday for the third consecutive day.

Users nationwide have grappled with prolonged inaccessibility to the platform, marking yet another glitch in internet instability in the weeks leading up to, during, and after the hotly-contested February 8 national elections.

According to Downdetector, X services were disrupted at around 1pm. The social media platform also experienced outages earlier in the day, it was reportedly not accessible around 10:30am and services were restored around noon. 

This is the third consecutive day of disruptions, which started soon after the now-former commissioner Rawalpindi alleged rigging and irregularities during the February 8 polls and said he played a part in the process.

Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha took responsibility for what he termed a "heinous crime," and implicated not only himself but also pointed fingers at the head of the election commission and the country's top judge – thrusting them into the spotlight.

Read 'X' faces 24-hour restriction amid political turmoil

The ‘confessions’ came as the ECP has already been in the crosshairs of several rigging allegations in the aftermath of a tumultuous week and thick clouds of manipulation continue to linger over results, throwing further questions over the legitimacy of the ballots.

Earlier according to NetBlocks, the metrics indicated that X/Twitter had been restricted in Pakistan for a continuous 24 hours, marking the lengthiest episode in a series of countrywide internet outages.

Downdetector highlighted at least 16 reports of potential issues on X across the country around 4:45 pm on Sunday, a number that escalated to 83 at a certain point. Real-time internet and social media outage monitoring services revealed that users attempting to access X were greeted with a disheartening message – "this site can't be reached."

Moreover, the disruptions extended beyond X, with disruptions reported on other major platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Google services, along with the internet service provider PTCL, last month.