Pakistan Polls 2024: NetBlocks confirms nationwide disruption to X, Imran Khan’s party terms it ‘absolutely shameful’

Terming the nationwide disruption to X as “absolutely shameful”, Imran Khan-led Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf said that after suspending mobile services in Pakistan during election day, they have blocked X in Pakistan because PTI was exposing the rigging.

“This is absolutely shameful. After closing mobile services in Pakistan during election day, they have no blocked X in Pakistan because PTI was exposing the rigging!!” PTI wrote on the social media.

پاکستان میں بدترین دھاندلی کے بعد آزادی اظہار رائے پر ایک اور حملہ ۔ سماجی رابطے کی ویب سائٹ ایکس (ٹوئیٹر) پر پاکستان میں پابندی لگا دی گئی ہے ۔ اکیسویں صدی میں اس قسم کے بھونڈے فیصلوں سے ملک میں صرف عدم استحکام پیدا ہو گا اور کچھ نہیں https://t.co/q9IZnThWEx

— PTI (@PTIofficial) February 10, 2024

“Confirmed: Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to X/Twitter across #Pakistan; the incident comes amid political turmoil after a controversial election held under an internet and mobile network blackout,” NetBlocks said on X.

⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show a nation-scale disruption to X/Twitter across #Pakistan; the incident comes amid political turmoil after a controversial election held under an internet and mobile network blackout 📉 pic.twitter.com/1sZpkbWN6L

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) February 10, 2024

Many internet users have reported widespread outages of X across the country, with Netblocks also confirming the disruption to the micro-blogging website.

Activist Usama Khilji said that X remained inaccessible across Pakistan even after two days since the elections, amid reports of online allegations of poll rigging.

X/Twitter only accessible via VPN in Pakistan two days after the election as evidence of documented rigging surfaces online, amid international powers questioning the integrity of the polling & counting process, & increasing frustration of citizens at their mandate being robbed. https://t.co/NLOjP7Knue

— Usama Khilji (@UsamaKhilji) February 10, 2024

Springing a surprise, independents backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the lion’s share of 101 seats in the National Assembly in Thursday’s election.

Twitter down? What's wrong with X?

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) February 10, 2024

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won 73 seats, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 54, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) with 17 and other seats going to smaller parties, as the result of 255 seats out of 265 announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

To form a government, a party must win 133 out of the 265 seats in the National Assembly. Election to one seat was postponed after the death of a candidate.

The powerful Pakistan Army, which has ruled coup-prone Pakistan for more than half of its 75-plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in matters of security and foreign policy.