Internet users in Pakistan are complaining about inaccessibility to popular social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, and video-sharing website YouTube, hours after law enforcers launched an operation to break up a protest sit-in in Islamabad.
Millions of Pakistanis relied on private television channels and social media platforms for updates on the events unfolding in the country following the Islamabad crackdown.
But then the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) ordered private television channels to go off-air, fearing live coverage of the Islamabad operation could trigger protests elsewhere in the country.
After the electronic media blackout, people turned to popular social networking websites for information, but Facebook, Twitter and Youtube were also blocked by the authorities in an effort to stop information from trickling out.
Many believe the social media ‘blackout’ is meant to stop users from posting and sharing images and views about the Faizabad crackdown.
Complains of inaccessibility started pouring in on Twitter mid-afternoon on Saturday. Some users say the social media ‘blackout’ is restricting people from their right to information.
