Pakistan Ranks Third in List of Countries With Most Internet Shutdowns

Iran topped the list of global internet restrictions, followed by India and then Pakistan, making Asia the region with most internet shutdowns

Pakistan’s political situation has not been all that nice lately resulting in a series of internet shutdowns, media bans and what not; and that has made the country rank third on VPN and cyber security provider Surfshark list of countries with most internet shutdowns.

Running a half year analysis, Surfshark reported that the world experienced over 42 global internet restrictions in the last 6 months, 3 of which were reported to be in Pakistan.

These internet restrictions in Pakistan came at a time of political turmoil following the arrest of former Prime Minister ‘Imran Khan’. Restricted from using cellular data, people were also unable to access all popular social media applications such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even video streaming platform YouTube.

Pakistan’s neighboring countries faced similar political turmoil and unrest, making Iran and India top the list with most internet shutdowns.

According to the report, Iran with the highest number of internet disruptions had over 14 internet shutdowns, almost all of which took place in Zahedan following heavy protests against the Zahedan massacre.

Taking up the second position, India had 9 instances of internet disruptions, all of which stemmed from a number of different protest events.

Surfshark also highlighted an additional 2 internet shutdowns ordered by the Indian Government in Jammu and Kashmir, bringing India’s total internet shutdown count to 11.

Increasing number of internet shutdowns during political and social uprisings shows how the internet has started playing a major role in the exchange of information. As per UN law, shutting down or denying internet services is a violation of international human rights law, what is your opinion on the topic? Let us know in the comments down below!