Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended his congratulations to Donald Trump for his "historic victory" in securing a second term as US President. However, the message, posted on X (formerly Twitter), came with a faux pas - given that Sharif's government has imposed a nationwide ban on the platform.
Sharif's post, which wished Trump well and expressed an eagerness to "strengthen and broaden the Pakistan - US partnership," was immediately flagged with a Community Note. The note pointed out that the Pakistani Prime Minister was in fact accessing the platform via a VPN, which, according to Pakistan's legal framework, is in violation of national regulations.
"Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has banned X (formerly Twitter) in Pakistan. He is using a VPN to access X, which is unlawful according to Pakistani law," the X Community Note read.
Screengrab of Shehbaz Sharif's post that received a Community Note on X.
Pakistan's interior ministry announced in April that access to X had been blocked due to national security concerns, with users reporting difficulties accessing the platform since mid-February. Despite the government's official stance, Sharif and other officials appear to have found ways to bypass the block using VPNs. In fact, many Pakistani leaders, including those from Sharif's own party, have continued to use the platform freely, ignoring their own legal restrictions.
The ban itself has stirred controversy. Initially, the government cited concerns over the platform's refusal to comply with local laws, including the controversial 2021 law called Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content Rules. The government also raised alarms over "hostile elements" using social media to destabilise Pakistan, but critics argue that the restriction is politically motivated, particularly in the wake of allegations of election rigging.
Sharif's own political rival, Imran Khan, has been one of the most vocal users of social media in Pakistan, particularly X, where his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has garnered millions of followers. Khan, in jail now, claimed that his ousting in 2022 was orchestrated by the military and that the elections earlier this year were manipulated to keep his party out of power. The government's restriction of X, some suggest, is an attempt to silence such opinions, particularly as the platform has been a critical outlet for dissent.
Critics argue that the Ministry of Interior overstepped its bounds in imposing the restriction, bypassing the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), which is the only body authorised to regulate online content under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. The real motivation behind the ban is to force X to comply with local censorship demands, as has been the case with other platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
