Popular social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has once again gone offline in Pakistan, with users reporting widespread service disruption on Saturday.

The platform has become inaccessible across the country, with many users stating that even Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are failing to restore access. The outage has affected both the web and mobile app versions of X.

As of now, no official reason has been given by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) or government authorities for the disruption.

Outage-tracking website Downdetector.com shows most number of outage reports between 4pm and 7pm, with the maximum number of over 380 reports around 6pm.

PTA clarifies disruption

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued a clarification regarding the ongoing disruption in the services of social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

According to the PTA, the disruption in X services is part of a global issue and is affecting several countries, including Pakistan. The authority further stated that NetBlocks, an international organization that monitors internet activity, has also confirmed the widespread disruption in X services.

PTA assured that there are no technical issues with Pakistan’s internet gateways, and that all other internet services across the country are operating normally.

Not the first time

The disruption in X services is not related to any internet filtering or service outage within Pakistan, the statement added.

This is not the first time X’s services have been interrupted in Pakistan. The platform has faced intermittent outages in recent months, often coinciding with political events or protests.

On March 11, users worldwide reported difficulties accessing social media platform X (formerly Twitter), with outage-tracking website Downdetector.com confirming widespread disruptions. Meanwhile, platform owner Elon Musk claimed that a "massive cyberattack" was targeting the service.

Despite being officially banned in Pakistan, Downdetector recorded 74 outage reports from Pakistani users at 3:08pm, which surged to 136 by 11:06pm, but an hour later had dwindled to 45. Complaints were primarily received from Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi.

The outage was not limited to Pakistan, as tens of thousands of users in the United States, United Kingdom, and other regions also faced accessibility issues.

On Feb 17 also, Internet users in Pakistan faced another disruption in accessing the services of social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, adding to the ongoing challenges in online connectivity. Despite several hours passing, the service remained unavailable, leaving users unable to access the platform from Islamabad and other parts of the country.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) did not issue any official statement regarding the issue, maintaining silence amidst growing concerns over the recurring disruptions.