In a decisive move against online terrorism, the Pakistani authorities have launched a sweeping campaign in recent weeks to report and block hundreds of terrorist-operated social media accounts across multiple global platforms, while calling on the international community to match their resolve in the fight against extremist propaganda.

Pakistan reported over 850 terrorist-linked accounts, with 533 already blocked.

Officials confirmed that more than 850 accounts linked to proscribed groups, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), banned by the United Nations, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), proscribed by the United States and United Kingdom, and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), proscribed domestically; these were reported to platform operators by the National Cyber Crime Investigative Agency (NCCIA) and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Of these, 533 accounts with a combined following of over 2 million users have already been blocked, while the remainder await platform action. The government’s multi-pronged strategy included:

• Formal reporting of terrorist accounts to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Telegram, and WhatsApp for suspension and data acquisition.
• Direct engagements between PTA as well as National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency officials and country representatives of major digital platforms to secure faster compliance.
• Ministerial outreach, with Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication Shaza Fatama Khawaja leading a special Zoom session with Telegram authorities—yielding what officials described as “significant cooperation” despite Telegram being banned in Pakistan.
• Media advocacy, spearheaded by State Ministers Talal Chaudhry and Barrister Aqeel on 24 July 2025, urging both local and international press to amplify Pakistan’s appeal for AI-powered content moderation and automated account blocking.

Government data reveals stark differences in cooperation:

• High compliance from Facebook and TikTok, with response rates exceeding 90%.
• Exceptional cooperation from Telegram, moving swiftly to block extremist content despite domestic restrictions.
• Lagging performance from X and WhatsApp, where compliance rates hover around 28%, prompting Islamabad to demand urgent improvements.

Officials stress that while Pakistan’s electronic and print media remain free of terrorist propaganda, extremist groups have entrenched themselves in the digital space using social platforms to glorify violence, recruit members, spread fear, and circulate attack footage. Pakistan is fighting terrorists on the battlefield every day, yet their ideology is allowed to flourish online from Social Media Platforms, circumventing their community guidelines.

Facebook, TikTok showed 90% compliance; X and WhatsApp lagged at 28%.

Some terrorist sympathisers and their active supporters operate as journalists, think tanks, and independent social media influencers to propagate terrorists’ videos, messages, and live or near-live coverage of their terrorist acts. Behavioural patterns of these sympathisers indicate who they represent. It demands a focused scrutiny by social media platforms to deny digital space to terrorists and their propagators. This is a global menace therefore, any misplaced priorities in the digital domain cannot be afforded to give them safe havens. Islamabad has called on all social media and messaging platforms to:

1. Permanently suspend all terrorist-linked accounts.
2. Deploy robust AI algorithms to automatically detect and delete extremist content before it spreads.
3. Establish dedicated, real-time coordination channels with Pakistan’s regulators and security agencies for rapid, effective action.

As a front-line state in the global war on terror, Pakistan has borne a staggering cost in blood and resources. The government urges the international community, especially states where these platforms are headquartered, to uphold their counterterrorism obligations and to cooperate under UN Security Council mandates and bilateral frameworks.

Islamabad demands AI-powered moderation and permanent suspension of extremist accounts.

This includes binding accountability for platforms, enhanced intelligence sharing, and coordinated regulatory enforcement to ensure groups like TTP, BLA, and BLF are denied the “digital oxygen” they rely on to survive. Recent designation of BLA and its Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organisations by the US must be leveraged by platforms like X to deny digital space to Terrorists and those who violate the binding provisions of the latest designation must be framed legally by the stakeholders.

Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies, cybercrime units, and regulators have reaffirmed their unwavering resolve to shut down terrorist propaganda channels, both at home and abroad through persistent monitoring, rapid takedowns, and strategic engagement with tech companies. This is not just Pakistan’s problem, it is a global responsibility to deny terrorists the space, physical or digital, to spread their poison.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.