The minister claims that authorities have been tracking fake accounts and actively reporting to relevant platforms
Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry. Photo: File
Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of running what he described as a targeted propaganda campaign on social media for an extended period. However, he called for freedom of expression to be exercised within the framework of the constitution and the law.
“Every message, every tweet and every trend is 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 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 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 fake names and all this evidence is obtained from social media platforms,” he said.
Chaudhry claimed that authorities have been tracking 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 used to support militant groups including Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “We have been fighting terrorists for a long time and are on the front line against terrorism, yet these fake accounts are being used to support BLA and TTP,” he said.
The Interior Ministry will continue efforts to counter online disinformation and what he called organized digital campaigns aimed at undermining national security, he added.
