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| Despite the social media shutdown in Pakistan, why could not the protests stop |
In Pakistan, the battle between Imran Khan's supporters and the country's establishment continued on two fronts: on the streets and on social media. And on a battlefield, the former prime minister's shoulder was heavy.
Within hours of Imran Khan's arrest on Tuesday, Pakistan's government imposed restrictions on the Internet in an attempt to curb resistance.
But soon after the arrest of a prominent political leader of the country, nationwide protests started.
As soon as Nighat's Dad heard this news in Lahore, he decided to return home. His staff were already confronted by violent protesters as they left their office in the center of the city.
"A mob tried to attack their vehicles and stop them," Nighat's Dad told the BBC.
Nighat Dad works on digital rights in Pakistan. During this time, he also kept an eye on the debate that was going on online.
Images of tear gas fumes and stone-pelting protesters were circulating on social media and WhatsApp. The video of Imran Khan's arrest by paramilitary forces had gone viral.
His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, was quick to provide information on its Twitter page.
In such a situation, the government turned off the switch to control the worsening situation. Social media sites were shut down across the country, with people finding it difficult to access Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Mobile networks were also blocked in some places while internet speed was also affected.
The majority of Pakistanis were not ready for this internet blackout. Those who could, use a VPN - a service that changes a user's Internet location. Trackers told the BBC that demand for such services increased by 1,300%.
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Internet shutdowns have become a weapon of governments in South Asia in recent years. Experts say authorities take the country offline to control information and suppress protests and dissent.
"Governments have a hammer and it's easy to think of the Internet as a nail," says Kathak Nachiapan of Singapore.
The impact of this shutdown in Pakistan is even greater because the Internet is relied upon to hear 'real news' here.
Uzair Yunus of the American think tank The Atlantic Council says that the trust of the general public in the mainstream media has been lost to such an extent that people go online and try to find out what is actually happening. .'
Uzair Younis says, "People say that watching TV is not beneficial because the establishment is controlling what can and cannot be told."
So when it comes to breaking news like Imran Khan's arrest, people go online, take the help of prominent journalists and YouTube channels or turn to social media.
Uzair says, "I was watching Geo News, which is a major broadcaster in the country, but I was getting more information on Twitter and WhatsApp about the protests, where the tear gas was being fired, and who was injured. Jio was not showing all this.
But relying on social media for news has its own problems. Due to the complex politics of Pakistan, misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories are prevalent on social media, mostly propagated by various political actors.
Nighat Dad says that restricting people's online presence regardless of the information they are getting is a serious violation of fundamental rights.
"When you shut down the Internet, people no longer have access to information," says the head of the Digital Rights Foundation.
They believe that such a ban violates the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and access to information. It should be noted that the United Nations also recognizes the right to access the Internet.
"Toughest Censorship Ever"
Internet censorship has become common in Pakistan since the fall of Imran Khan's government in April last year.
In his political comeback, Imran Khan has called the overthrow of his government illegal and his rallies are attended by thousands.
According to NetBlocks, an Internet monitoring company in the UK, the internet was blocked during three of Imran Khan's rallies before his arrest, but this time was the most severe.
Alep Tukar of NetBlocks told the BBC that it was Pakistan's worst internet shutdown recently.
"This time, different blocking methods were widely used, targeting both mobile networks and social media platforms, in what appears to be a clear attempt to control the narrative," he said.
According to Netblocks, the majority of the mobile network-affected areas were in Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province and currently Imran Khan's stronghold.
The Telecom Authority later confirmed that it had orchestrated the internet shutdown on the instructions of the Home Ministry.
The internet shutdown was a significant step for the current government of Pakistan which created difficulties in public access to health, emergency, and economic facilities.
On the other hand, it also had a profound impact on Pakistan's already weak economy. Millions of Pakistanis depend on the Internet for employment, including in the logistics sector as well as the tech community.
Hundreds of Pakistani business leaders and human rights activists protested on Wednesday condemned the closure and expressed in a letter that it would negatively impact the country's vibrant tech sector, one of the few sources of foreign investment.
However, political observers say it is clear that the authorities are willing to make this sacrifice to end Imran Khan's popularity online.
Imran Khan's popularity online
Tehreek-e-Insaaf has a clear advantage over its political rivals in that the majority of young and technology-savvy voters are with them. The party's social media machine is miles ahead of rival parties.
Asfandyar Mir is affiliated with the United States Institute for Peace. He says that the establishment and the government are worried about the use of social media for anti-military political movements.
He says, 'The army keeps track of how many tweets have been shared and how many likes have been shared on Twitter, and from this, it can be estimated that what can be said politically to bring people together. can be used for.'
Since the arrest of Imran Khan, PTI had been providing regular information to its 9 million users on Twitter. Imran Khan himself has 19 million followers on Twitter, while the army has 6 million followers and the current Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has more than 6 million followers.
More worryingly for the military establishment, when the army and Imran Khan parted ways, the PTI took online army supporters with it.
"Since then, the military establishment has faced a backlash on the online front and has struggled to control the narrative," says Uzair Younis.
Uzair Younis says that the military establishment does not have the capacity that the PTI has on social media. So it was the easiest way to close it.
But shutting down social media was only one aspect of the recent internet shutdown. WhatsApp plays a significant role in organizing protestors.
On the political front, efforts were being made by both sides to spread their message through WhatsApp, but even here the PTI's side remained heavy.
Uzair Younis says that 'Tehreek-e-Insaaf has created such communities and groups in the best way through which its narrative or information is spread.'
After Imran Khan's release, the internet shutdown gradually ended, but the political heat and online debate continues.
"People are emotional not only because of what happened to Imran Khan but also because of the economic situation," says Nighat Dad.
"This anger and frustration is about to explode, everyone wants to say something."