Internet and Social Media Disrupted in Pakistan
Internet and social media services in Pakistan have once again been disrupted. Platforms like Facebook and X cannot be accessed without using a VPN on several networks, including PTCL, Ufone, and Zong. Internet speed has also become very slow across the country.
Some providers are still working properly, and their users can access Facebook and X without issues. However, PTCL users are facing problems even with messaging apps like WhatsApp.
According to the website Downdetector, hundreds of people in Pakistan have reported problems using Facebook, while many users on X have shared similar complaints about service interruptions.
This outage follows a weekend when mobile internet services were completely shut down in Islamabad and Lahore for several days due to protests by the group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
The TLP demonstrations included marches and sit-ins from Lahore to Islamabad in support of Palestinians. The government responded by tightening security, deploying forces, sealing roads, and cutting off mobile internet in major cities to prevent widespread unrest.
In Islamabad and Rawalpindi, 3G and 4G services were officially suspended on October 9 under orders from the Ministry of Interior and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). The mobile data shutdown was aimed at controlling large gatherings but ended up leaving many citizens and businesses without internet access.
