The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has alleged that its websites were “blocked” in Pakistan, prompting the party to demand an explanation from federal authorities. The PTI, facing challenges after being deprived of its iconic ‘bat’ symbol for the upcoming elections, had introduced an online portal on its website and a “backup site” to provide information about independent candidates supported by the party.
Users reported being unable to access PTI’s websites without a Virtual Private Network (VPN). The PTI raised the issue on its official social media accounts, tagging the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), interim information minister Murtaza Solangi, and interim IT minister Umar Saif.
The party questioned why its websites were blocked in Pakistan and highlighted that people were still accessing symbol information from Imran Khan’s Facebook page. Jibran Ilyas from the PTI’s social media team also sought an explanation from the IT minister.
The PTA has not responded to requests for comments on the matter. This incident follows the emergence of a fake web portal, mimicking the PTI’s site, which provided incorrect information to voters.
In recent weeks, multiple countrywide internet outages coincided with PTI’s online events. The party had urged the Supreme Court to take notice of the internet suspensions.
The interim government attributed the disruptions to “technical” issues and system installations, with no guarantee against future incidents, according to information minister Solangi and PTA Director General Ahmed Shamim Pirzada.
