X (formerly Twitter) has been inaccessible in Pakistan since Saturday following protests over alleged vote rigging.
NetBlocks, which monitors connectivity issues, reported a “national-scale disruption” of the social media platform on Saturday. In its latest update on Monday, the internet watchdog confirmed that access to X remains restricted in Pakistan.
Internet users, digital rights activists, and politicians have voiced dismay over the prolonged restriction. Many have turned to virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass the restrictions and access X and other blocked platforms.
In 2023, we ran in-depth tests on 20+ VPN services, focusing on their ability to navigate digital barriers in Pakistan. NordVPN scored the highest in our tests. It allowed us to stream Pakistani TV and access international streaming platforms. We also successfully used this VPN to unblock many websites and apps, including TikTok and Facebook.
Digital Rights Activists Criticize Restrictions
Internet outages are not uncommon in Pakistan. They have often coincided with events organized by the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) party, led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Digital rights advocates have criticized the repeated internet and social media restrictions in the country.
“In the past three months, we observed that social media platforms were shut down five or six times in Pakistan, and furthermore, mobile internet services were suspended on the day of the election and the following day,” digital rights advocate Usama Khilji told Pakistan’s The Nation on Monday.
“The ease with which access is restricted demonstrates a complete absence of the rule of law,” Farieha Aziz, co-founder of the digital rights advocacy group Bolo Bhi, told Al Jazeera. “All legal responsibility [for the restrictions] rests squarely on the PTA [Pakistan Telecommunication Authority].”
Netizens Ridicule Minister for Posting on X
Amid allegations of election rigging and internet restrictions in Pakistan, Umar Saif, the country’s IT minister, found himself being trolled online on Saturday after sharing a post on X.
“Pakistan’s IT industry is taking off…” Saif tweeted, along with a screenshot of a GitHub report that ranked Pakistan as the third country with the fastest-growing software developer population.
The irony of Saif sharing a post on X, which is currently inaccessible in the country, didn’t go unnoticed by netizens. Users pointed out that he was probably using a VPN to bypass the very restrictions his government imposed, leading to a flurry of ridicule directed at the minister.
“IT Minister tweeting through VPN because his Govt blocked X(twitter) due to public protest against election rigging,” one user remarked.
How to Bypass Censorship in Pakistan
Pakistani authorities shut down the internet on 15 different occasions in 2023. One of the most notable incidents was during protests after Khan’s arrest in May.
According to Access Now, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) ordered the indefinite suspension of internet services, which led to a three-day blanket shutdown across four mobile providers starting on May 10. Authorities also blocked Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for a whole week.
The recurring internet blackouts in Pakistan highlight the growing need for VPNs to allow internet access and protect freedom of speech.
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