Twitter down in Pakistan: When will X be restored?

X decides to work with the Government of Pakistan “to understand its concerns"

Tech Desk - Apr 20, 2024

An undated image of the logos of X (formerly known as Twitter). — Freepik

X, formerly knowns as Twitter, has been inaccessible in Pakistan since February 17 as the government imposed restrictions on the use of the social media platform after former prime minister Imran Khan’s party announced country-wide protests in the wake of alleged rigging in February 8 elections.

Days after public outcry, X this week said that it would work with the Government of Pakistan “to understand its concerns”.

X’s Global Government Affairs team — in their first comments since the ban — posted: "We continue to work with the Pakistani Government to understand their concerns."

Meanwhile, the interior ministry of Pakistan — in a report submitted to the Islamabad High Court — said that X was blocked on security grounds.

In the report the interior ministry shifted the blame on intelligence agencies, adding that the closure of a social media service "when there is request from any security or intelligence agency" is "well within the scope of provisions of the PTA act.”

It should be noted the people in Pakistan has been accessing X through virtual private networks (VPN) as access to X has been sporadic, occasionally available for short cycles based on the internet service providers.