The U.S. State Department on Wednesday condemned internet shutdowns in Pakistan, including restrictions on social media platforms, and urged the Pakistani government to lift such restrictions. Internet monitoring advocates have pointed out internet outages and restrictions after protests following claims of election irregularities in Pakistan.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Wednesday that they are concerned by any reports of restrictions on the exercise of the freedom of expression and association in Pakistan, including the partial or complete government-imposed internet shutdowns, which includes, of course, on social media platforms.
Miller said that Washington called on Pakistan to respect freedom of expression and restore access to any social media that has been restricted, including Twitter. He said the U.S. concerns had been communicated to Pakistan through official channels.
United States, Britain, and the European Union have separately expressed concerns about Pakistan’s electoral process in the wake of the elections.
