28 civil society organizations call for immediate restoration of X in Pakistan

In a joint statement posted on X, Amnesty International said that the social media platform has been blocked in the country since Feb. 17. The blockade came a week after mobile phone services were suspended across the country on the day of general elections on Feb. 8. However, the mobile phone services were restored the next day.

“We, a collective of human rights activists and civil society organizations, express profound concern over the increasing instances of internet shutdowns and social media platform blocking, specifically in the lead up to and following the general elections in Pakistan,” the statement said. “These actions not only infringe upon the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and access to information but also set a troubling precedent of throttling genuine political discourse including plurality of voices in the country,” it added. Amnesty described the “arbitrary” blocking of platforms as a “sobering illustration of growing digital censorship in the country.” Last month, Netblocks, a UK-based internet watchdog, confirmed a “national-scale” disruption of X that began amid protests by different political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, against alleged rigging of the polls. However, the authorities remained tight-lipped about the disruption.

It is not the first time the country has seen social media disruptions in the country. Social media shutdowns have mostly been witnessed during periods of political unrest and volatility. Human Rights Watch (HRW), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are among the other signatories of the joint statement. EFE aa/pd