Pakistan warns X of ban over non-cooperation on counterterrorism

ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan on Thursday warned social media platform X that it could face a ban and financial penalties if it continues to refuse cooperation on counterterrorism measures.

The warning came during a joint media briefing in Islamabad by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik.

Talal Chaudhry said social media platforms would face action if they continued violating Pakistani laws.

He recalled that on July 24, 2025, the government had issued an official notice directing all major platforms to establish offices in Pakistan and raising concerns that terrorists were freely exploiting these services.

Chaudhry stated that terrorists are now using advanced technology—including AI tools and algorithms—to spread extremist content.

“Several platforms have shown an extremely weak response to Pakistan’s requests,” he said, adding that 19 accounts involved in terrorist activity were being operated from India and 28 from Afghanistan.

He noted that X and Facebook had demonstrated especially poor cooperation in taking action against such accounts.

Chaudhry urged all social media companies to set up offices in Pakistan, arguing: “If child abuse content can be auto-deleted, then why not terrorist content?”

He demanded that platforms deploy AI-based systems to automatically remove extremist material and accounts.

He added that digital evidence indicated that 40 banned organisations had online footprints originating from Afghanistan.

Barrister Aqeel Malik accused social media companies of maintaining a “double standard,” saying they often remove content related to Palestine within 24 hours, yet show reluctance when Pakistan seeks action against accounts linked to terrorism.

He said X had not provided IP addresses of accounts involved in terrorist activity. “If platforms refuse to cooperate, Pakistan may adopt the Brazil model, under which X was banned and fined heavily,” he warned.

Malik added that Pakistan could also consider taking the matter to international courts if the non-cooperation persists.