Pakistan urges social media platforms to block banned militant accounts

Pakistan says banned groups like the Taliban and BLA are using X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram to incite violence

Pakistan on Friday urged global social media companies to take action to block hundreds of accounts allegedly run by outlawed militant groups that Islamabad claims spread propaganda and glorify insurgents in the South Asian country.

According to Pakistan's Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry, groups such as the Pakistani Taliban and the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army banned by the Pakistani authorities and also designated as terrorist groups by the United States have been using X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram to promote violence in Pakistan.

Chaudhry, who spoke to reporters at a news conference, urged the tech companies to remove or disable these accounts, as well as those run by supporters of the militant groups.

Deputy Law Minister Aqeel Malik, who also spoke at the news conference, said Pakistani investigators have identified 481 accounts associated with the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, and the Balochistan Liberation Army, or BLA.

The accounts were being used to incite violence and spread hate speech, Malik said.

There was no immediate response from any of the social media platforms to Pakistan's request. Pakistan itself has in recent years blocked access to X, primarily to curb criticism from supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan but also voices of other dissenters.

The plea comes amid a surge in violence across Pakistan, much of it blamed on the two militant groups, as well as the Islamic State group.

The Pakistani Taliban are allies but a separate militant group from the Afghan Taliban. However, the Taliban takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021 has emboldened the TTP.

Militant groups also heavily rely on social media platforms to claim responsibility for attacks against security forces and civilians in Pakistan.