Webdesk: Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, has said that hundreds of social media accounts linked to terrorism have been traced.
Pakistan has identified at least 481 social media accounts suspected of being linked to banned terrorist groups and has urged global tech companies to help block these online networks.
The announcement was made by State Ministers Talal Chaudhry and Barrister Aqeel Malik during a joint press conference held in Islamabad on Friday.
Speaking to reporters, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry explained that the accounts were being operated using fake names and unverified identities. He said all of them were connected to terrorist organisations, although their exact origins were not yet known.
He said the government was asking social media platforms for assistance in tracing and shutting down these networks. “Pakistan is standing as a barrier between terrorism and the world,” he stated.
Chaudhry also pointed out that many of the banned outfits, blacklisted by the United Nations, United States, United Kingdom, and Pakistan, were actively using these platforms to spread their messaging. He reminded the media that the National Action Plan clearly called for action against anyone promoting extremist content through media or online.
He warned that dangerous groups were using social media in the name of free speech and demanded that their accounts be completely taken down.
The minister laid out three main requests for tech companies: firstly, to block and delete the accounts; secondly, to use AI tools to stop mirror accounts from being created shortly after deletions; and thirdly, to share information on account holders, stressing that those running such pages were directly involved in terrorist activities.
He urged full cooperation from all social media platforms on these points.
Echoing these concerns, Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik said that many of the organisations involved were already declared terrorist entities by the UN and other international bodies.
He warned that this threat had now spread to major apps like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram. He said it was important to specifically mention these platforms, as they were widely used by such groups for coordination and propaganda.
He also said that Pakistan would support social media companies opening offices in the country to improve communication and enforcement.
The ministers pointed out that terrorist groups were increasingly relying on encrypted apps for communication and recruitment. They called on tech firms to set up stronger systems to detect, remove, and report these accounts in line with international efforts against terrorism.
Malik concluded by saying that Pakistan was continuing to monitor other accounts linked to terror groups and called on social media platforms to help by swiftly blocking and reporting such activity.
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