Minister Attaullah Tarar Explains Ban on Social Media Platform X

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has stated that the ban on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) was imposed for national security reasons and should not be seen as an attack on freedom of expression.

In an interview with Voice of America in New York, he explained that the ban was not unexpected and was put in place during the interim government. He noted that separatist and terrorist groups have been using X to target the country, mentioning that Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists conduct their campaigns on the platform.

Tarar highlighted that terrorists share their activities and even broadcast them live on X, asserting that such misuse of social media cannot be tolerated. He emphasized the need for mechanisms to regulate social media to prevent these groups from exploiting it to harm innocent people.

He pointed out that a web management system already exists, and it should be possible to ensure cybersecurity and data security under this framework.

However, as a political worker, Tarar expressed his desire for X to be reopened, suggesting that the issue could be resolved if compliance matters with the platform are addressed.