Islamabad [Pakistan], December 2 - At least two online monitoring tools have contradicted the Pakistani government's assertion of uninterrupted internet services. Reports indicate widespread internet disruptions faced by users attempting to access social media platforms on Sunday.
According to data analyzed from these real-time network stability and outage tracking tools, internet users experienced significant difficulties accessing or had limited access to several popular social media websites throughout the day.
Internet Outage Detection and Analysis (IODA), a tool developed by the Internet Intelligence Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology, revealed that these disruptions lasted for several hours. IODA measures internet connectivity and detects outages, and while its data showed stability at the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) level – unique identifiers assigned to major internet providers – it detected disruptions based on traffic to Google Services.
Speaking to Dawn, a network expert explained that stable BGP routes imply no widespread outage has been reported. “Any disruption in BGP stability indicates a network-wide issue which usually occurs as a result of a submarine cable fault or fire at a data centre, etc.," the expert stated.
IODA reported disruption in traffic from Pakistan to Google services between 10 pm on Saturday and 8:30 am on Sunday, followed by another period from 1:30 pm to 6 pm. The expert pointed out that this traffic analysis indicates general internet usage. "For example, if daily an x amount of traffic comes to Google addresses from Pakistan and today it is not coming, this is indicative of a restriction [of the internet]," the expert explained.
IODA's data revealed “abnormally restricted” internet access during these time slots, suggesting deliberate limitations on user access.
Downdetector, which bases its assessment on user complaints about internet issues, also reported widespread disruptions to WhatsApp throughout the day. Approximately 52% of users reported problems sending messages, 27% with voice notes, and 21% with overall application usage, according to Dawn.
Internet users in major Pakistani cities like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and others also reported difficulties using Instagram and TikTok throughout the day. These reports raise serious concerns about internet freedom and access in Pakistan, directly challenging the government's claims of uninterrupted service.
