Govt asks social media platforms to set up offices in Pakistan or face action

The federal government has once again asked major social media platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and X, to establish 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 Barrister 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 steps to follow Pakistan’s regulations. He criticised platforms for failing to act against violent anti-Pakistan posts while quickly deleting child exploitation material and anti-Israel content.

Several accounts spreading terrorism and hatred are being operated from India and Afghanistan, and extremist groups continue to exploit these platforms to disseminate propaganda, said Chaudhry.

The minister revealed that 19 terrorism-linked accounts originating from India and 28 from Afghanistan have been identified. He said that banned organisations such as TTP, BLA and BLF, which are also designated as terrorist groups by the United Nations, are actively spreading violent content.

Chaudhry stated that Telegram has shown good cooperation on Pakistan’s complaints, while X has given the weakest response. He said, if these platforms can auto-delete child pornography, why they cannot use the same technology to auto-delete terrorist content.

Barrister Aqeel Malik said, social media companies apply double standards to Pakistan, noting that content related to Palestine is removed within 24 hours while requests from Pakistan are neglected.

He said, if these platforms do not cooperate, Pakistan may consider adopting measures similar to 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 emphasised that terrorists targeting Pakistan ultimately pose a threat to the West as well. Pakistan, they said, is fighting terrorism not only for its own safety but also for global security, and the international community should support the country in this fight.