Facebook Down Across Pakistan on Youm-e-Ashura
A restriction on access to the social media platform Facebook was reported across multiple service providers starting on July 16 and 17. The restrictions coincided with the annual observance of Yaum-e-Ashura.
Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources, including users, showed numerous reports of problems accessing Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta. Netblocks indicated that authorities “typically restrict mobile internet services” on this occasion.
Numerous users reported on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that they were unable to access Facebook. Questions arose regarding whether the platform had been banned by the government, similar to the ongoing ban on X since February 17.
This year, both the Balochistan and Punjab governments had preemptively planned internet and mobile service suspensions in several regions. In Balochistan, services were suspended in the provincial capital and other sensitive districts for four days of Muharram. Meanwhile, Punjab’s government had requested the Interior Ministry to suspend social media apps from Muharram 6 to 11 to curb the spread of hate speech and misinformation and to prevent sectarian violence. The Interior Ministry, however, deferred the decision regarding the complete suspension of six social media platforms, including Facebook, awaiting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s final approval. The ministry acknowledged the public inconvenience caused by internet and mobile service suspensions and emphasized that such decisions would be based on security assessments and ground realities.
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