Internet being restored across Pakistan: PTA.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confirmed Friday that it had started restoring internet across Pakistan, days after it blocked mobile broadband services across the country.

The telecom regulator blocked mobile broadband services across the country on May 9 on the interior ministry's directives.

Enraged PTI supporters resorted to violence attacking military and government buildings in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar.

The step was taken by the authorities to control the spread of chaos, while access to major social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube was also blocked since then.

A PTA spokesperson confirmed to Geo.tv today that internet services were being restored after directives to this end were received from the interior ministry.

The spokesperson said, however, that the ministry had not issued any instructions regarding social media platforms.

The internet suspension has resulted in an approximate revenue loss of Rs820 million for telecom operators, reports have suggested, a huge dent to the sector, as the economy remains in a fragile state.

The decision to restore the internet comes a day after the Supreme Court declared Khan's arrest from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) 'illegal' and directed the authorities to release him 'immediately'.

The top court also asked the PTI chief to approach the IHC for bail. Subsequently, Khan appeared in front of the high court today, which granted him two-weeks protective bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case - in which the PTI chief was arrested - and barred authorities from arresting him in any other case till May 15.

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