Social Media In Pakistan Restricted: DXB Residents’ Families Use VPNs To Stay Connected
On Tuesday, Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan was arrested by force in front of the High Court in Islamabad and a video of the arrest immediately went viral.
In response, national protests and demonstrations are taking place across Pakistan, including its most populous cities Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and its capital Islamabad. Here in DXB, many residents with family in Pakistan are particularly concerned for their well-being and the future of the country. The government has restricted internet access in certain areas, but residents report that they’re staying in contact because their families are using VPNs.
The former PM was arrested outside of a courtroom and people are protesting the sheer force used to make the arrest
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Pakistani authorities on-site deployed tear gas and water cannons to scatter the protesting masses
After the arrest of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and now the leader of the opposition Imran Khan, mass protests began in the country.
In an attempt to normalize the situation, Pakistani police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters in Karachi, Lahore and… pic.twitter.com/1VdbDgkHnr
— Malinda 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇵🇱🇨🇦🇮🇹🇦🇺🇬🇧🇬🇪🇩🇪🇸🇪 (@TreasChest) May 10, 2023
Amidst the crisis, media companies were alerted to shut down telecomms on Tuesday
The local media claim that telecommunication companies received an order to shut down the internet nationwide to stabilize the situation in the country. Pakistani people reported their access to social media became unstable.
Global internet monitor Netblocks confirmed that access to widely used social media platforms including Twitter, and Facebook was restricted. Residents reported this only happened in certain areas in a government bid to deploy further protests.
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Pakistani people make up 12% of the Dubai population and amid protests, communication has become unstable
Lovin Dubai spoke to some residents who report that they have maintained communication thanks to VPNs, following a call to shut down Telecoms nationwide.
After the abduction of Imran Khan, Govt of Pakistan has blocked Twitter and Facebook in multiple areas of Pakistan
People are using VPN to access social media platforms @twitter @amnesty @facebook @elonmusk
— Erum Zaeem (@ErummZaeem) May 9, 2023
Dubai resident comments on the protests: “We just sat yesterday watching the news as a family. We’re just concerned about the well-being of our future. We don’t know what’s going to be next.”
And others in the UAE Twitter are sharing their support for Khan on Twitter
This is an evolving story. Follow @LovinKarachi for more
There are ways to get things done , by doing all this it only shows how their leader has led them. They can't harm , burn and break everything that comes their way. #ImranKhan is a gentleman , we adore him.
— CryptoniteUae (@CryptoniteUae) May 10, 2023
