WEB DESK
Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan accused the government Wednesday of “unacceptable” censorship after authorities apparently blocked national access to YouTube to prevent a rally speech from being broadcast live.
Imran retains widespread support despite his April ousting and has staged mass rallies across the country calling for early elections and railing against the government.
His speeches frequently draw top ratings on television, with highlights trending on social media in Pakistan.
On Tuesday night, however, YouTube was down across much of the country as Khan addressed a rally in Peshawar, with London-based internet outage monitor Netblocks confirming the disruption.
“Access was restored after the speech concluded,” Netblocks told AFP.
YouTube has not commented on the matter, while a representative of the Pakistan Telecoms Authority said they had “no idea about it”.
Last month the government’s media regulatory body banned Khan’s speeches from being broadcast live, on the grounds they were inciting unrest, but this week the high court ruled the order illegal.
Still, no TV channels broadcast Tuesday’s speech.
On Wednesday Imran accused the government of censoring him, saying the move would damage the country’s reputation.
“They are imposing complete blackout of my speeches not only from mainstream media but also by blocking YouTube,” he tweeted.
