The ministers cite Article 19 and warn that freedom of expression has limitations on national security and foreign policy
Union Ministers Talal Chaudhry, Azam Nazeer Tarar and Attaullah Tarar address a joint press conference and say Pakistan’s interests remain paramount, 10 March 2026.
Federal ministers on Tuesday warned against “sensational” comments on Pakistan’s foreign policy and warned that action would be taken if “red lines” were crossed.
Addressing a joint press conference, Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan’s interests remained paramount and urged social media users and commentators to avoid unnecessary remarks about the country’s external relations.
Highlighting constitutional provisions, the law minister said Article 19 guaranteed freedom of expression but also imposed certain legal restrictions. While reading out clauses of Article 19, he warned people to avoid comments that could endanger national security or harm Pakistan’s relations with friendly countries.
“Freedom of expression comes with limitations. Caution must be exercised when discussing religion, national security and Pakistan’s relations with friendly countries,” he said.
Azam Tarar added that though the government had maintained a fair policy, action would be taken if limits were crossed. “Only when the red line is crossed will action be taken,” he said, urging caution in comments on electronic and social media as the region goes through a difficult phase.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has played a key role in the current situation. For us, Pakistan’s interests come first,” Tarar said, adding that the country maintained close and friendly ties with states in the region.
Read: Deadly protest at US consulate raises questions
Currently, Pakistan is engaged in hostilities with Afghanistan, which escalated in early February 2026 following a series of cross-border clashes in the border regions. Pakistan has accused Afghan-based militant groups known as Fitna al-Khawarij to carry out attacks on its soil, prompting heightened security measures along the border.
While the US and Israel have launched pre-emptive strikes on Iran following rising regional tensions. The latest escalation began in early March after the US and Israel launched pre-emptive strikes on targets in Iran, triggering a sharp worsening of regional tensions. The attacks followed the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Since then, the conflict has widened across multiple fronts in the Gulf region, with Iran vowing retaliation and warning of wider consequences.
The fallout spread across Pakistan as protests over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 1, 2026, turned violent in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, as hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters marched on the US consulate there.
Hundreds of protesters breached the consulate’s outer wall, vandalized the building and attempted to storm the building while chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans.
Security forces, including local police, paramilitaries and US Marine security guards, responded with tear gas and, as the situation escalated, opened fire to repel the crowd. At least 10 protesters were killed and dozens more injured in the clashes, and the unrest led to the suspension of visa services at the US consulates in Karachi and Lahore as a precautionary measure. The violence also spread to other cities, with protesters attacking the United Nations and government offices in parts of the north, such as Skardu.
The minister warned in today’s press that negative vlogs or comments on relations between countries just to get online views could harm Pakistan’s interests.
“Sensationalism to gain views is harmful. In the current situation, spreading sensationalism is not a service to the country,” he said.
Read more: ‘Media faces an existential threat in Pakistan’
Tarar added that statements in Pakistani media were often interpreted abroad as the state’s official position. “In other countries, what is said in our media is taken as state policy,” he noted, urging commentators not to base discussions on personal likes, dislikes or political agendas.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said Pakistan had consistently sought diplomatic solutions and played an active role in regional efforts to de-escalate tensions. “Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and has a clear stance on defense and foreign policy,” he said, adding that parliament had also been briefed on the ongoing conflict.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that Pakistan is geographically important and has sought diplomatic solutions in the current situation. He noted that Parliament has been briefed on the ongoing conflict and the Prime Minister has also issued a statement following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader. He said the prime minister had issued a statement following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader and was in contact with leaders from other countries to address the evolving situation. “Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and has a clear stance on defense and foreign policy,” he added.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said on his social media platform X that Pakistan stood in full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states following Iranian attacks on them in retaliation for Israeli and US attacks on the Islamic Republic.
He further said that Pakistan is playing an active diplomatic role in the conflict where the Prime Minister is in touch with various world leaders and Pakistan has also taken an active role in the UN Security Council.
Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, strongly rebuked the Afghan and Indian envoys during a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, accusing them of ignoring cross-border militancy targeting Pakistan. He said Afghan diplomat Naseer Ahmad Faiq was “cut off from ground realities” and criticized him for failing to address attacks from Afghan soil that harmed Pakistani civilians, security forces and infrastructure.
Ahmad also accused India of supporting militant groups operating from Afghanistan, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and of violating international law in occupied Kashmir. Despite the criticism, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan, stressing that this required the Taliban to honor commitments on counter-terrorism, inclusive governance and protecting the rights of Afghan women and girls.
