Islamabad, Pakistan:
The Pakistan government on Friday ordered an hours-extended shut down of social media and immediate messaging platforms, immediately after days of violent anti-France protests.
In a notice to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, the Interior Ministry requested a “complete blocking” of Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp, YouTube and Telegram till 3pm (1100 GMT).
It gave no purpose for the ban, but it comes a day immediately after French nationals and businesses in Pakistan have been advised by their embassy to temporarily leave in the wake of the rallies led by an extremist party that paralysed massive components of the nation and left two police officers dead.
Political parties regularly use social media platforms to rally supporters.
Thousands of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan supporters spilled onto the streets immediately after their leader was detained Tuesday following his calls for the expulsion of the French ambassador.
Anti-French sentiment has been festering for months in Pakistan due to the fact President Emmanuel Macron threw his help behind a satirical magazine’s appropriate to republish cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed — deemed blasphemous by lots of Muslims.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government has struggled to bring Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan to heel more than the years, but this week announced an outright ban against the group, successfully labelling it a terrorist outfit.
Extra safety personnel have been deployed to the French embassy — inside a guarded diplomatic enclave closed to the public — and extra shipping containers placed as fortifications about its outer wall.
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