WhatsApp and Instagram faced widespread disruptions across the country on Sunday.
WhatsApp users faced difficulties in uploading and receiving media files and voice notes, while a number of Instagram users were unable to refresh their feed and access messages on the platform.
The outages were particularly severe in Karachi, according to reports received by Digital Rights Monitor (DRM). Many users are still facing problems while sending and receiving images on WhatsApp.
The disruptions came as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters hit the road for their protest scheduled for Sunday.
Prior to the protest, the Ministry of Interior released a statement saying that mobile phone and cellular data services could be suspended in various cities of Punjab, especially Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Islamabad.
There has been no official notification from the government on the outages so far, however.
According to NetBlocks, which tracks internet disruptions worldwide, “WhatsApp backends” were restricted in Pakistan. “The measure comes as authorities tighten security ahead of protests planned by opposition party PTI calling for the release of former PM Imran Khan.”
It is important to note that X (formerly Twitter) has been banned since February 17 in Pakistan, and the government has ramped up measures for the registration of “commercial” virtual private networks (VPNs) as well.
