Pakistan has increased efforts to counter online extremism by encouraging international social media companies to take stronger action against terrorist content while inviting them to establish local offices in the country, high -ranking officials said Friday.
“We are building walls against terrorism, not sound -absorbing freedom of speech,” said prime minister of interior Talal Chaudhary during a press briefing that outlines Pakistan’s new digital security pressure.
He said Pakistan remains a “global bulwark in the fight against terrorism” and has discovered hundreds of terrorist accounts on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter).
According to the Ministry of the Interior, groups such as Tehrik-in-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP), Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) are actively using social media to spread propaganda and recruitment of youth.
The government said 2,417 complaints related to terrorist content is currently undergoing review and platforms must respond with urgent nature.
“Social media companies need to use AI to quickly remove terrorist content,” said Chaudhary.
Officials noted that the United Nations have banned ISKP and TTP, while the US and Britain have appointed, among other things, to a terrorist organization and added to Pakistan’s weight requirements.
Minister of Lawyer Barrister Aqeel said the promotion of terrorist ideology is “a criminal offense under PECA (Prevention of the Electronic Crimes Act),” and warned that “offenders will be subjected to prosecution.”
The government has called on global platforms to block terrorist accounts, share IP data and user metadata with authorities and develop and implement automatic detection and block algorithms.
To facilitate the collaboration, Islamabad invited foreign social media companies to establish offices in Pakistan and support the efforts to counter digital radicalization.
“Pakistan calls on international cooperation to counter digital terror threats,” said Chaudhary, adding that the country’s call is in accordance with global security efforts.
