Talal Chaudhry says Telegram’s reaction to Pakistan’s complaint is good, but X gave the weakest response
The federal government has once again asked major social media platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and X, to set up local offices and ensure full compliance with Pakistani laws or face action.
The warning was issued during a briefing at the Ministry of Interior, where Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Minister of State for Law Advocate Aqeel Malik addressed representatives of local and international media.
Talal Chaudhry said that despite a formal notice issued on July 24, 2025, social media companies have not taken sufficient measures to follow Pakistan’s regulations. He criticized the platforms for failing to act against violent anti-Pakistan posts while also quickly removing child exploitation material and anti-Israel content.
Several accounts that spread terrorism and hate are operated from India and Afghanistan, and extremist groups continue to exploit these platforms to spread propaganda, Chaudhry said.
The minister revealed that 19 accounts linked to terrorism originating in India and 28 in Afghanistan have been identified. He said banned organizations such as TTP, BLA and BLF, which are also designated as terrorist groups by the United Nations, are actively spreading violent content.
Chaudhry claimed that Telegram has shown good cooperation to Pakistan’s complaints, while X has given the weakest response. He said if these platforms can automatically remove child pornography, why can’t they use the same technology to automatically remove terrorist content?
Lawyer Aqeel Malik said social media companies apply a double standard to Pakistan, pointing out that content related to Palestine is removed within 24 hours while requests from Pakistan are ignored.
He said that if these platforms do not cooperate, Pakistan could consider adopting measures similar to those in Brazil, where authorities imposed fines and temporarily blocked X for non-compliance. He added that Pakistan could also take the issue to an international court if necessary.
The ministers emphasized that terrorists attacking Pakistan ultimately also pose a threat to the West. Pakistan, they said, is fighting terrorism not only for its own security but also for global security, and the international community should support the country in this fight.
