Pakistan elections 2024: Balochistan 'restricts' internet, says 'terrorists may exploit social media platforms'

Pakistan is gearing up for smooth conduct of general elections scheduled for Thursday, 8 February. Amid this, fearing possible terrorist activities during polling, internet services have been suspended in Balochistan which remains the target of terrorists. Caretaker Information Minister of Balochistan, Jan Achakzai, has announced that internet services will be “temporarily” restricted in “sensitive” polling booths located in various areas of Balochistan. “Ensuring the safety and security of ordinary citizens is of utmost importance, as there is a concern that terrorists may exploit social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and other similar channels for communication purposes,” Achakzai said in a post on X. “Consequently, in order to mitigate this risk, internet access will be restricted in the lead-up to the elections in regions including Turbat, Mach, and Chaman,” the minister added.

The areas in the province, mentioned by the minister, recently witnessed a terrorist attack. Balochistan has been witnessing spike in terrorist attacks, especially on political parties and their election rallies ahead of elections. The move could, however, largely impact independent candidates with scant resources who massively rely on social media to spread their message. The announcement comes despite Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, last week, ruled out any possibility of communications and internet service outages on the day of polling. ‘Dangerous Precedent’ Lawyer Jibran Nasir, who is contesting from Karachi, has taken the government to court over the social media shutdowns, saying it sets a “dangerous precedent” for the future and violates people’s constitutional rights. “It is a direct attack on the freedom of expression of all Pakistanis regardless of what part of the political spectrum they belong to,” AFP cited Nasir as saying. “I primarily rely on social media because, given the inflation, it is virtually impossible to run a fully-fledged campaign within the budget limits,” he added. Pakistan elections 2024 Security has been heightened across Pakistan with the deployment of law enforcers to ensure the law and order situation for the national-level polls. Meanwhile, campaigning is on in full swing but the country continues to witness repeated incidents of violence that resulted in multiple deaths, especially at political parties’ rallies in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, raising concerns regarding the security situation. With inputs from agencies