WhatsApp, Instagram among platforms facing nationwide connectivity issues

Social media users across the country are experiencing significant access issues amid the measures taken by the government to restrict the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) convoys marching toward Islamabad for a protest rally. 

Despite the passage of several hours, the reason behind the disruption remains unclear, as no official statement has been released, fueling speculation about the timing of the outage.

While the authorities have acknowledged plans to restrict internet access in areas deemed to have security risks, they have not addressed whether these measures extend to social media platforms.

Downdetector.com — which tracks real-time overview of issues and outages of websites and social platforms — showed that users of Pakistan were facing disruptions in accessing WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and other sites.

However, the disruptions were not only restricted to social platforms, but internet was affected as well.

Shahjahan Khurram, an Islamabad-based journalist, said that the recent internet disruptions, be it the closure of X, slowed internet speeds across the country, or the banning of virtual private networks, have made life difficult for Pakistanis.

"To survive without the internet and go about your daily activities, whether it be your job or academic activities, in this day and age, seems extremely difficult."

Another citizen of Islamabad, Farhad Jarral said that the government seems to "unveil a new level of innovation" in restricting citizens’ access to the internet whenever PTI announces a protest in Islamabad. 

"This time, not only were major social media platforms blocked, but even VPNs—normally a reliable workaround—were rendered ineffective," he said.

In Karachi, 27-year-old Tallal Aazmi told Thenews.com.pk: "The internet is so slow right now, I can’t even share media on WhatsApp. It’s super frustrating and slows everything down."

Rabia, a resident of Lahore, said that the government has "been curtailing our right to information and freedom of speech which is a violation of our rights while the irony is that they themselves are using these platforms".

"The government needs to realise these shutdowns are not only impacting the public but making us a laughing stock on international platforms," she added.

State Minister for IT, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, quoted PTI’s protest post on X with her own remarks, terming it a "Fitna Call" and highlighting the government’s narrative in response to PTI's mobilisation efforts.

This further underscores how political rivalry increasingly finds its battleground in digital spaces, leaving ordinary citizens caught in the crossfire.

PTI founder Imran Khan has called on supporters to gather at D-Chowk in the capital and stay there until their demands are met, and it can be expected that the disruptions will persist.

In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government has stationed tens of thousands of police and paramilitary personnel in riot gear and obstructed highways leading to Islamabad to prepare for the opposition’s protest rally.