YouTube down in Pakistan ahead of Imran Khan’s speech in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: With PTI Chairman Imran Khan to address a rally in Peshawar, reports have emerged that YouTube has been shut down in Pakistan, media reports said.

Ahead of the former Prime Minister's address, multiple users had started complaining on Twitter that the streaming website was not working for them. #YouTubeDown also emerged as a top trend on the microblogging website Twitter, Geo News reported.

The disruption in YouTube service was also confirmed by internet tracker, NetBlocks, in a tweet.

In response to the reported blockage, PTI said that it will air its Chairman's speech on Twitter Space.

The blockage comes after the PTI Chairman, earlier on Tuesday, said he'd had enough of the Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) "cabal of crooks" maligning him, Geo News reported.

PDM -- the ruling parties who have formed the government after ousting Khan from the Prime Minister's office in April -- severely criticised Khan's recent comments against the military and its top brass.

The armed forces were also livid following the PTI chairman's Faisalabad speech, where he said that if a "patriotic" army chief were appointed, he would not spare the incumbent rulers.

In response, Khan tweeted that he was following the "intense propaganda" launched by the PDM's "cabal of crooks" against him, which stems from them being "petrified of PTI's soaring popularity".