Social media platforms — Twitter, YouTube and Facebook — were restored in Pakistan Friday after being inaccessible for the last few days.
Users had started complaining about the platforms being inaccessible shortly after protests erupted across the country following the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on May 9.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had suspended mobile broadband services across the country on Tuesday night on the orders of the interior ministry — the longest such continuous shutdown in a country that often suspends communications as a tool to quell unrest.
The internet suspension has resulted in an approximate revenue loss of Rs820 million for telecom operators, reports have suggested, a huge dent to the sector, as the economy remains in a fragile state.
Besides, the government had also blocked major social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook, while YouTube services were slower to control the spread of disinformation and panic among the masses due to the spread of “unwanted information”.
