KARACHI: Internet users across Pakistan encountered significant issues with connecting WhatsApp, just days after the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) alerted the government of the severe repercussions of internet shutdowns and a potential virtual private network (VPN) ban.
Reports from outage tracking website, Downdetector, noted a peak of 207 complaints within an hour, primarily around 10pm on Saturday, with 67% of users experiencing difficulties in sending messages, especially media files, and 16% facing problems receiving them.
The disruptions in the Meta-owned instant messaging app predominantly affected Punjab, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw sporadic issues.
Meanwhile, Karachi reported the most significant impact from the disruptions across Sindh, according to Downdetector’s heat map.
Sources within the IT industry acknowledged facing problems while sharing media files. However, no one knew what the problem was.
Internet service providers also faced backlash from customers due to the sudden outage of WhatsApp, with users complaining about their inability to share media files, but could not point to the cause of the issue.
