Internet access to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube restored across Pakistan: PTA

Access to social media platforms including Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook has been restored in Pakistan after being inaccessible for the last few days, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel.  

According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) spokesperson, social media services have been restored across the country on the instructions of the government.

Facebook and YouTube were being restored in stages while Twitter service was up in all places, the spokesperson added. 

The internet service was already restored, it claimed and urged the people to inform in case of problems in any area.

The social media services have been suspended across the country on Tuesday night on the orders of the interior ministry when protests broke out across Pakistan after Imran Khan’s arrest in Islamabad - the longest such continuous shutdown in a country that often suspends communications as a tool to quell unrest.

Amnesty International termed the suspension as an act against “freedom of expression”. The shutdown resulted in a loss of economic productivity and digital services, including digital payments.

According to the All Pakistan Software Export Association, the IT industry has suffered a loss of Rs10 billion. 

With the restoration of mobile broadband internet, services like Uber, Bykea, and Foodpanda have started working again.

However, users are worried due to a lack of access to social media platforms. They have solved this problem through VPN. Usually, these Virtual Private Network services are provided by companies in Western countries that allow them in creating a secure connection between a computing device and a computer network.

Due to the use of VPN, a large number of Pakistani users are able to see different hashtags appearing from Western countries on their walls.