Pakistan blocks Social media amid protests

April 16, 2021

“Social media has been blocked for a few hours so that troublemakers can not use it during Friday prayers congregations,” said an official…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan on Friday blocked social media platforms amid fears that activists of a radical Islamist group might use the technology to stoke violent protests against last year’s depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in France.

Followers of far-right Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), a group that supports the country’s controversial blasphemy laws, have blocked roads and chocked streets at deadly protests that started on Monday, reports dpa news agency.

The protesters are demanding that the government fulfil an earlier promise to expel the French Ambassador by April 20 over the publication of a cartoon depicting the prophet last year.

At least five people including two police officers have been killed in the protests, which have prompted the France Embassy in Islamabad to urge French nationals to leave Pakistan temporarily.

“Social media has been blocked for a few hours so that troublemakers can not use it during Friday prayers congregations,” an official told dpa.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and TikTok are inaccessible across the country, including the capital Islamabad.

Political parties, Islamist groups and militant organisations like Pakistani Taliban heavily rely on social media platforms to connect with their followers.

Also read:Imran Blames Women As Rape Cases Soar in Pakistan

Previous Story

Beena Kannan’s experiment in luxury silk

Next Story

Energy drinks consumption may harm heart

Latest from -Top News

No Lifetime Visas, Says UAE

The UAE’s ICP has dismissed media claims of lifetime Golden Visas for select nationalities, calling them inaccurate…reports Asian Lite News The Federal

Netanyahu Nominates Trump for Nobel

Netanyahu hails Trump’s role in Middle East diplomacy with Nobel nomination gesture…reports Asian Lite News Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally nominated

Kenyans put president on notice

Kenya’s fifth president became a remarkably unpopular leader barely two years into his presidency after proposing aggressive tax measures that many saw

Don't Miss