The Pakistan government as of Friday night has lifted restrictions on social media platforms and restored mobile data services, the Dawn reported. The government earlier said that mobile internet will remain suspended until it arrests “miscreants” responsible for the unrest, referring indirectly to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) cadres.
The services were suspended following the arrest of PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on May 9 and were restored on May 12 around 10pm.
After Khan received his bail from the Islamabad High Court, the interior ministry led by minister Rana Sanaullah, withdrew the advisory issued on May 9 to suspend mobile data service and social media platforms, including Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, Dawn said citing a spokesperson from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
“It will take some time to arrest the miscreants who set fire to people’s houses and the internet services might remain blocked till then,” Sanaullah said earlier, signalling that the government was not in the mood to restore social media platforms and mobile data services.
The government itself faced pressure from several quarters to restore internet connectivity, the Dawn said. The Dawn itself took out an editorial piece titled “Hello world! The internet is blocked in Pakistan again, but we are publishing this using a VPN” criticising the government for suspending internet access.
The Dawn further said the information technology and telecommunications minister also approached Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directly with an appeal to restore internet connectivity.
Global mobile network body GSMA also urged Pakistan to restore mobile data service and its head for the Asia-Pacific region also wrote to the country’s IT ministry highlighting the harm to businesses and how it dented Pakistan’s reputation in terms of economy and foreign investment.
“The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, and is concerned about the impact that the current restrictions are having on citizens and businesses in Pakistan,” Julian Gorman wrote in the letter.
“In today’s digital societies individuals and businesses rely on connectivity for their livelihoods and access to essential services and information, prolonged restrictions can also have far-reaching effects on citizens’ health, education, social and economic welfare,” he further added.