Richard Grenell asks Elon Musk to provide Starlink service to Pakistan

WASHINGTON: Richard Grenell, a close confidant of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has made an appeal to Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), to include Pakistan in the list of countries eligible for Starlink services.

Grenell’s request comes as the need for reliable internet access in Pakistan continues to grow. The country face significant challenges with censorship, including the recent ban X.

Hammad Azhar, a senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), responded to Grenell’s appeal, emphasizing the critical need for Starlink’s satellite internet in Pakistan.

According to Azhar, the government of Pakistan censorship has severely limited access to truthful new platforms.

The Z platform, now restricted in the country, remains accessible only via Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), making it difficult for citizens to stay informed without facing barriers.

Richard Grenell, a close confidant of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, has garnered substantial media and political attention in Pakistan due to his persistent social media posts advocating for the release of the country’s former prime minister, Imran Khan.

The situation escalated on November 26 when the Pakistani government unleashed a violent crackdown in Islamabad to disperse opposition protesters who were demanding Khan’s release. This prompted Grenell to express his support on the social media platform X, tweeting, “Free Imran Khan!”