The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced on Friday that its websites were blocked in Pakistan. This occurred just before the general elections set for February 8. PTI is seeking clarification from the authorities about this blockage.
PTI is grappling with the absence of its ‘bat’ electoral symbol for the upcoming polls. The party has nominated its candidates as independents with varied electoral symbols as a workaround. To minimize voter confusion and improve access to election information, PTI launched an online portal on insaf.pk and a backup site, pticandidates.com.
Official Inquiry on Social Media
The party’s official account addressed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), interim information minister Murtaza Solangi, and interim IT minister Umar Saif on social media. They questioned why PTI’s websites were blocked and pointed out that symbol information was still accessible on Imran Khan’s Facebook page.
A fake web portal providing incorrect information about PTI-backed candidates emerged earlier. Moreover, PTI faced multiple internet outages during its online events. The most recent disruption happened on January 20, just an hour before a PTI event. Similar occurrences were reported on December 17 and January 7, leading PTI to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Legal Actions and Court Orders
The Sindh High Court recently prohibited authorities from suspending internet services until the February 8 elections. This ruling followed a petition by Jibran Nasir, a human rights defender and lawyer. PTI also moved the top court against suspending social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi cited “technical issues” during recent internet outages. He indicated that these disruptions might continue due to system installations. The PTA attributed these outages to technical faults and system upgrades. PTA DG Pirzada warned of potential disruptions for the next two to three months.
