The social media behemoth X, formerly known as Twitter, frequently falls victim first when Pakistan’s government fails to address criticism.
Once more, the government’s fear of dissent compelled it to view X as a threat and shut it down without providing an explanation, in the midst of political, economic, and security difficulties as well as claims of election tampering following the February 8 elections.
It’s not the only one; other social media platforms, mobile services, and the internet regularly experience outages, prompting everyone from the president to media pundits to ordinary citizens to inquire why the sudden disruption and label it as an effort to quell dissent.
President Dr. Arif Alvi stated on Monday, “The blockage of social media websites in Pakistan was due to the lack of intellectual capacity to handle criticism.” These remarks followed X’s three days of nationwide interruption, which was reported by the international internet watchdog Netblocks.
The most offensive incident occurred when Umar Saif, the acting IT Minister, proudly announced on X that “Pakistan’s IT industry is taking off” although X was unavailable in Pakistan. Saif appeared to be utilizing a VPN.
Renowned attorney and civil rights activist Jibran Nasir stated, “It looks that the caretaker government intends to limit free flow of information regarding the 2024 elections.” “And in doing so, it adds to the already contentious nature of the election results.”
Executive director of the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) and attorney Nighat Dad claimed that suspending any social media site violated the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution’s Article 19 (which deals with freedom of speech, etc.) and Article 19-A (which deals with the right to information).
The distinguished expert further stated that it is against international agreements, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the international human rights frameworks, to obstruct or violate anyone’s access to any platform or information.
Dad remarked, “What is more concerning is the regulator’s total silence and lack of transparency,” and that it was unknown what legal or procedural frameworks the relevant authorities were using to stop X or other social media services. She went on, “Disruption sends a message of uncertainty.”
Dad listed a number of potential explanations for the government’s decision to disable X and other apps, adding that one of them was to restrict speech, silence critics, and prevent people from talking about or debating “rigging.”
Dad emphasized that there may be additional reasons to block a social media site(s), such as security risks and widespread misinformation during a time when people were polarized, biased, and willing to believe anything, including artificial intelligence (AI) or synthetic media content.
She emphasized, though, that access might be restricted because of security risks in some places, and that the solution was not to entirely shut down the social networking platform or the app.
She described the situation as “like two truths and a lie kind of situation,” noting that in addition to the rights of businesses, ride-sharing apps, and independent contractors, among others, that were impacted, there was also a detrimental message that was communicated to the global community. She remarked, “It damages investments and business as well.”
According to Khawaja Fahad Shakeel, a consultant and strategist in IT and AI, disruptive X will have an impact on the nation’s economy, society, and technology. The 2024 general elections, former Rawalpindi Commissioner Liquat Ali Chatha, and similar events are examples of how it is utilized to set trends.
Furthermore, Shakeel added, watchdogs and the world’s media continued to track and evaluate trends using metrics such as social media applications, which are utilized by political parties and powerful individuals alike. “They stop creating trends and the rankings drastically drop if it is blocked.”
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are not well known to the general public, he claimed, emphasizing that only about 2 or 3% of Pakistan’s internet users were proficient in using VPNs to access social media sites. “People are negatively impacted when they lack access to information,” Shakeel stated.
The call center, software development, SEO (search engine optimization), and social media sectors comprise the IT sector, according to Shakeel. He also mentioned that when X went down, IT companies had to shift their brand marketing to Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Khurram Schehzad, the CEO of Alpha Beta Core and an economic analyst, claimed that marketing firms were making the most of social media and that businesses and the nation’s reputation suffered if even one app went down.
“These days, social media is much more powerful; if it is blocked, it has a negative effect on people, including foreigners, businesses, and investors.”
I am a dedicated student currently in my seventh semester, pursuing a degree in International Relations. Alongside my academic pursuits, I am actively engaged in the professional field as a content writer at the Rangeinn website.