The United States urged Islamabad on Wednesday to "respect freedom of expression and restore access to any social media" sites, including X (previously known as Twitter).
While responding to a question about social media disruptions in Pakistan, State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller said, "So we are worried about any reports of limitations on the practice of free expression and association in Pakistan, including partial or total government-imposed internet shutdowns, which include, of course, social media platforms. We continue to call on Pakistan to respect freedom of expression and restore access to any social media that has been restricted, including Twitter, which I believe, is now known as X."
The spokesperson stated that Washington has and will continue to emphasize "the importance of respecting these fundamental freedoms during our engagements with Pakistani officials." He also stated that Washington expressed its viewpoint to Islamabad via formal means.
The GSMA, a worldwide organization that unifies the mobile ecosystem, voiced worry over connection and internet service limitations in Pakistan on Election Day, calling them a breach of human rights and freedom of speech.
A GSMA representative contacted Caretaker IT Minister Umar Saif to express the organization's concerns about the restrictions imposed on connectivity and internet services in Pakistan prior to the 2024 general elections, on election day itself, and the subsequent ongoing decline in service quality.
It is pertinent to mention here that, according to NetBlocks, a worldwide internet watchdog, popular social networking site X, previously Twitter, has been largely banned in Pakistan for almost five days since Saturday.
The government continues to remain silent about the disruption, which began on Saturday last week.