Social media trends against Pakistan are paid and foreign-run, says Talal Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Monday warned that terrorist organisations and hostile elements are increasingly using social media to undermine Pakistan’s security, while stressing that freedom of expression must operate within legal and ethical limits, ARY News reported.

Addressing a press conference, Talal Chaudhry said the government of Pakistan firmly believes in freedom of speech, but clarified that it should not amount to “absolute freedom” where anyone can say or post anything without accountability.

He alleged that a malicious campaign against state institutions is being run on social media, adding that Pakistan is among the countries with the highest social media usage, making it vulnerable to abuse. “No compromise will be made on national sovereignty,” he asserted.

The minister claimed that PTI-linked social media networks were involved in paid, non-organic trends and hashtags, often operated from enemy countries. He said trends are deliberately manufactured through WhatsApp groups, hired companies, and coordinated accounts, many of which impersonate women or news agencies.

Talal Chaudhry stated that under new features on X (formerly Twitter), it is now possible to trace where accounts are being operated from, revealing that most accounts driving such trends originate outside Pakistan.

He alleged that individuals and companies are paid in dollars to generate trends, with some accounts posting hundreds of tweets per day.

“These activities violate social media platform policies,” he said, adding that the government has gathered documentary evidence directly from the platforms. He warned social media companies to take corrective measures, saying legal action could follow if violations continue.

The minister reiterated Pakistan’s stance against terrorism, saying the country has been a major victim of terrorism and condemns it anywhere in the world. “Terrorism has no religion or nationality,” he said, adding that Pakistan remains on the frontline against terrorism.

He concluded by saying the press conference aimed to expose an organised mechanism behind online hate campaigns, misinformation, and incitement, rather than targeting political popularity.