Talal Chaudhry accuses PTI of running anti-state campaigns via paid overseas accounts

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of running what he described as a targeted propaganda campaign on social media for a prolonged period. However, he urged that freedom of expression must be exercised within the bounds of the Constitution and the law.

“Each message, each tweet, and every trend is being paid for,” he said, while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Monday, adding that most of these accounts were created using fake identities and were not operated from within Pakistan.

He further stated that fake social media accounts, many of them operated from abroad, are being used to spread content against Pakistan, with payments being made for tweets and coordinated online trends.

The minister said he would present documents and evidence during the briefing, clarifying that these were not government-generated records but data provided by social media platforms themselves.

“Most of these accounts are being operated from abroad. They are fake accounts created under false names, and all this evidence has been obtained from social media platforms,” he said.

Chaudhry claimed that authorities have traced the accounts involved and that institutions are actively reporting fake accounts to relevant platforms. He said the companies hosting these platforms are also based overseas.

He further alleged that content shared through these accounts was being used to support militant groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “We have been fighting terrorists for a long time and are standing on the front line against terrorism, yet these fake accounts are being used to support the BLA and TTP,” he said.

The interior ministry would continue efforts to counter online disinformation and what he termed organised digital campaigns aimed at undermining national security, he added.