Pakistan cuts off phone and internet services on election day

2018 Algeria shut down internet during school exam season.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;world&#x2F;2018&#x2F;jun&#x2F;21&#x2F;algeria-shuts-internet-prevent-cheating-school-exams" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;world&#x2F;2018&#x2F;jun&#x2F;21&#x2F;algeria-shuts-...</a><p>&quot;Algeria is not, however, the only country to take such radical steps during exam season: Syria, Iraq, Mauritania, Uzbekistan and several Indian states reportedly block access to the internet. Ethiopia shuts down social media.&quot;

On one hand, this is a classic dictatorship move. Senegal just did the same just after postponing elections.<p>On the other hand, Pakistan really did have terrorist attacks just before the election, targeted at the election. So taking heavy handed steps to protect the election integrity can be explained.

More specifically, shouldn&#x27;t this be &quot;Pakistan cuts off phone and internet services <i>for civilians</i> on election day&quot;?<p>I assume law enforcement, the military, and government officials are free to communicate and coordinate today.

Pakistan&#x27;s neighbor, India, has also been shutting off the internet quite a bit. 84 times in 2022:<p>- <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;world&#x2F;2023&#x2F;sep&#x2F;25&#x2F;a-tool-of-political-control-how-india-became-the-world-leader-in-internet-blackouts" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;world&#x2F;2023&#x2F;sep&#x2F;25&#x2F;a-tool-of-poli...</a><p>And Punjab had its internet severely restricted last March:<p>- <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.wired.com&#x2F;story&#x2F;india-activist-manhunt-sikh-activist&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.wired.com&#x2F;story&#x2F;india-activist-manhunt-sikh-acti...</a><p>- <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;world&#x2F;2023&#x2F;mar&#x2F;21&#x2F;punjab-internet-blackout-hunt-sikh-preacher-amritpal-singh-sandhu" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;world&#x2F;2023&#x2F;mar&#x2F;21&#x2F;punjab-interne...</a><p>(I post this as someone who loves the subcontinent.)

It&#x27;d be so cool if all our phones &amp; laptops could have globally-unique addresses and talk to one another directly in a big global mesh.<p>You&#x27;d still need cables and satellites to deal with rural areas and to cross oceans, but you couldn&#x27;t really switch that off.<p>Free speech would go through the roof!

Seems like a normal practice for dictatorship-like countries. Happened too in Belarus in 2020: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;2020%E2%80%932021_Belarusian_protests" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;2020%E2%80%932021_Belarusian_p...</a>

Back in the days before teh interwebz were invented...<p>What if the gov&#x27;t could shut off political advertising on TV for (say) 48 hours before any national election ? Candidates fall back on print(ed) media and radio. This would cut off many problems (imho).<p>Opportunity missed. And, too late now.

I don&#x27;t understand what the government&#x27;s story is here. How exactly does shutting down cell service &quot;combat possible threats&quot;?

It seems an interesting idea in a weird way.<p>Maybe redirect everything to the list of election programs.<p>I would first get mad then read them.

This is not uncommon across the border in the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Some years have seen dozens of connectivity blackouts with the stated goals of maintaining peace and order or disrupting terrorism.

Wow, thinking of the actually talented distributed workers in that part of the world.

&gt; Pakistan has temporarily suspended mobile phone network<p>And not the fixed one?

I read the comments you guys probably have no idea what is going on in here. Let&#x27;s talk about it from the start. It&#x27;s 2021 and Imran Khan is the PM of Pakistan and US is leaving Afghanistan. Now US would certainly want to have their military airbases in Pakistan to keep an eye on Taliban government, they made an undercover request which was denied by Imran Khan on a Tv interview[1]. Which really unpleased the Biden Government. And then they started to hatch a plan to oust him. It finally started to happen in the start of 2022. The plan was to remove him through vote of no confidence. But Imran Khan found out, a US official formally asked to Pakistan Ambassador for removing him as PM through VONC, otherwise Pakistan will face consequences. Which happened in the most dramatic way by buying the members of Imran Khans party. You will be surprised to know that Pakistan Army was on paper with US. And that cipher was actually for Qamar Jawad Bajwa the Army chief of Pakistan forces. Well he was ousted.<p>He was ousted but not defeated. The day he was removed masses protested on the streets of Pakistan. He just wanted them to hold elections so that people can get to choose. For that he resolved his 2 provincial assemblies. In the mean while he survived 2 assassination attempts one time narrowly escaped the gun shots and second time planned killing by a moob.<p>According to Pakistani law after the dissolving assemblies Election commission has to hold elections within 90 days which did not happen until 2 years. And in 2023 August National Assemblies also completed its tenure. Which supposed to get members within 90 days. Which did not happen as well. Again abrogation of law.<p>During this time, as Imran Khan party named PTI (Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf) was popular. They tried to break his party through false flag operations against him accusing him for the master planner of attach on a military houses(termed 9th May) by his supporters who were protesting against his illegal arrest from the courtyard of High Court Islamabad. Hence they dismantled his party in a the most funny way possible. They will hostage someone and ask him to do press conference and confess that Imran Khan is the planner for 9th May. Thousand of supporters including women and party members was arrested and lots disappeared.<p>And then the announced the elections on 8th Feb. But they sentenced him for 24 years in different cases and dissolved their marriage accusing him for marrying his current wife before his period is done and sentenced 7 years both him and his wife. And Pakistan Supreme court took his party official sign for voters and declared each of his candidates contesting as independent.<p>So today was 8th February and election day, to prevent his voters from voting they turned of Mobile service which is still of at the time of writing and you will be surprised to know his party won with simple majority and election results are still awaiting.<p>You may get an Idea what is happening in here. And you will be surprised to know this 21st century regime change operation is going in Pakistan with the help of Pakistan Army by USA. And since then whenever us official were asked about Pakistan they replied this is according to the Laws of Pakistan. But they do not reply the same for Iran or Venezuela.<p>We want people to raise the voice of Pakistanis.<p>[1]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.dawn.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;1630278" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.dawn.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;1630278</a>

I bet some researcher will create a paper on productivity increase due to internet cut off days

How else to prevent misinformation?

The craziest thing is that Pakistan has nuclear weapons. And not only that, the weapons are at the disposal of the local (very high ranking) commanders. It also is a country where the military is really in charge, only occasionally giving back the control to a civilian government.<p>Sometimes people think that Eastern Europe is the most likely place to get nuked, or perhaps some American carrier off the coast of China. But in reality it&#x27;s both Pakistan and India.

This is pretty indefensible and indicates the results of this &#x27;election&#x27; are likely fixed.

Pakistan is a sad tale. A country of 200 million+ with almost no future.<p>The elites are busy milking what’s left of the country before it flames out. The idiotic IMF continues giving them loans to support the extremely corrupt system..the US government also supports the extremely corrupt military.<p>This is what happens when corruption is built into the culture of your society and religious&#x2F;tribal hullabaloo is more prioritized than economic and social development.

Well if you look at the US it&#x27;s not like anyone can honestly say that the internet has had a very positive impact on the democratic process ...