Islamabad: Pakistan has called for global cooperation against digital terrorism and urged social media companies to actively assist in effective data sharing and the swift removal of terrorist content.
This appeal was made by Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, and Minister of State for Law, Barrister Aqeel Malik, during a joint press briefing with local and international media in Islamabad.
Minister of State Talal Chaudhry emphasized that Pakistan is a front-line state in the global fight against terrorism. He clarified that the government is not restricting freedom of expression but is taking clear actions against terrorist elements.
He urged social media platforms to immediately shut down accounts linked to terrorist organizations and to introduce automated blocking systems to prevent such content in the future. He also revealed that Pakistan has invited these companies to establish their offices in the country.
Chaudhry stated that Pakistan has identified 2,417 digital complaints containing terrorism-related content, and action is underway against them.
He further added that the United Nations has imposed sanctions on ISIS-Khorasan (IS-KP) and the proscribed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while the United States and the United Kingdom have designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist organization.
He highlighted that the social media accounts of these organizations are radicalizing youth and spreading negative narratives through propaganda. He stressed that social media platforms must take measures to automatically remove such content with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Barrister Aqeel Malik, also present at the briefing, stated that content from terrorist organizations on social media is a punishable offense under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), and the state will continue to take action under this law.
