X banned to address national security concerns, says Info Minister Tarar

Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, has stated that the ban on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has been enforced due to national security concerns and should not be interpreted as an attempt to suppress freedom of expression.

Speaking with Voice of America in New York, Tarar explained that the ban, which was imposed during the tenure of the interim government, was not implemented without notice.

He highlighted that separatist and terrorist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), have been using the platform to promote their activities against Pakistan.

Tarar pointed out that terrorists use X to post and even live-stream their violent actions, stressing that such misuse of social media by terrorist organizations cannot be allowed.

Tarar said that the need for a mechanism to regulate social media in order to prevent its exploitation for harmful purposes.

He further mentioned that a web management system is already in place, which could ensure cyber and data security, suggesting that there should be no major hurdles in regulating platforms like X effectively.

However, as a political figure, Tarar expressed his personal opinion that the platform should be reopened.

He added that the situation could be resolved amicably if compliance issues with X are addressed.