Social media services including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram were reportedly down for many users in Pakistan on Tuesday evening, according to outage-tracking website Downdetector.com.
Users were unable to log in to their accounts on all three platforms, preventing them from posting or viewing content.
The outage could have affected a larger number of users. Many smartphone users also reported issues with their WhatsApp accounts not working on desktops or cellphones. Additionally, internet speeds were slow for many users across the country.
The partial suspension of social media platforms and WhatsApp occurred as workers and followers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held countrywide protests following the arrest of party chairman Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
PTI supporters were urged to protest and “block all roads, close all shops” following Khan’s arrest by Rangers personnel from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), acting on a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) warrant.
Protests occurred in several cities, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar, and Mardan, with clashes reported between demonstrators and police in Karachi near Nursery.
Protesters also caused damage to public property in Rawalpindi and Lahore.
(Islamabad51-Newsdesk)
