Authorities in Pakistan detained two journalists within a week, while domestic access to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, remained disrupted for a 10th consecutive day.
The crackdown comes amid widespread electoral fraud allegations following parliamentary elections, fueling concerns about freedom of speech in a country known for throttling media.
Asad Ali Toor, an independent journalist with nearly 300,000 followers on X and more than 160,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel was taken into custody Monday evening by the Federal Investigation Agency, or FIA, his lawyer confirmed.
Last Thursday, Punjab police arrested Imran Riaz Khan in a late-night raid on his home, citing corruption charges.
He denied any wrongdoing and told the judge during a Friday court hearing that he was being targeted for his critical reporting on alleged state-sponsored rigging in the national elections.
Meanwhile, X services remained restricted in Pakistan on Monday, 10 days after services were suspended amid allegations of massive rigging in the February 8 vote.
Pakistan has experienced five internet service interruptions since the beginning of 2024, affecting its 128 million users, Surfshark, a Lithuania-based internet shutdown tracker, reported last week.
