Tech Desk 
Feb 22, 2024
On Thursday, Pakistani users experienced the sixth consecutive day of service disruption on X, formerly known as Twitter, prompting concerns from the United States urging the South Asian nation to lift imposed restrictions.
Employees in different organisations including Gadinsider faced difficulty accessing the social media platform directly, resorting to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) for connectivity.
The outage originated on Saturday evening when Liaquat Ali Chatta, the former Rawalpindi commissioner, alleged electoral fraud, triggering the platform's shutdown in Pakistan.
During a press briefing, Chatta disclosed his resignation, admitting to instructing returning officers to manipulate results for approximately 13 MNA candidates within the Rawalpindi Division. He further asserted that losing candidates were erroneously declared victors, each with a substantial lead of 50,000 votes.
Amid the disruption stemming from fraud accusations following the elections, the United States intervened, urging Pakistan to revoke limitations on X and uphold freedom of expression.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed concerns over any curtailment of freedom of expression or association in Pakistan, emphasizing the importance of restoring access to social media platforms like X, formerly Twitter.
In a recent development, Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi of the Sindh High Court issued an order instructing the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to promptly reinstate internet services throughout the country.
There have been short moments when the social media platform was restored but a permanent revival is still to be seen.
