Pakistan Blocks Social Media Amid Crackdown on Islamists

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan temporarily blocked access to all social media platforms Friday amid a crackdown on a radical Islamist party leading recent nationwide violent demonstrations against France over the publication of anti-Islam cartoons in a French magazine. 

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority confirmed blocking Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Telegram on orders from Pakistan’s Interior Ministry. The suspension lasted four hours, with the PTA saying the action was taken. “to maintain public order and safety.”  The media shut down came as police in the eastern city of Lahore prepared to clear a large ongoing demonstration by the radical Islamist party Tehreek-i-Labaik Pakistan, a day after the government declared the party a banned group under the country’s anti-terrorism laws. Thousands of TLP activists had taken to the streets across major Pakistani cities Monday to protest the arrest of their leader, Saad Rizvi. The protesters blocked key highways, causing traffic jams, paralyzing business and routine life for three days in Pakistan.