Social media platform X restricted in Pakistan for 24 hours amid reports of election fraud Netblocks

Social media platform X has been restricted in Pakistan for a duration of 24 hours,

 According to internet monitor Netblocks. 

This restriction is part of a series of nation-scale internet censorship measures implemented by authorities in response to emerging reports of election fraud. 

Prior to this, Netblocks had reported a nationwide disruption to X due to escalating unrest and protests surrounding allegations of election fraud. 

These allegations were made following the resignation of a senior election official who publicly admitted to vote manipulation. 

Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha accused the Election Commission of Pakistan and Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa of involvement in rigging, although these claims were denied by the electoral watchdog and the top judge. 

Today, Usama Khilji, the director of Bolo Bhi, an advocacy forum for digital rights, stated that X was inaccessible for many users except through select VPNs. He also noted that users were experiencing difficulties with blocked VPNs and slow internet speeds. Despite these issues, there has been no official statement from the telecom authority or the IT minister, whose responsibility is to ensure uninterrupted internet access.