X repeatedly rejects Pakistan requests to block Imran Khan’s account, report says

Pakistan’s telecom regulator has told a court that it sought the suspension or restriction of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s account on X three times over three and a half years, with the social media platform largely rejecting the requests.

Details emerged in a report submitted by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, or PTA, to the Islamabad High Court.

Khan, a former international cricket star who became prime minister in 2018, was removed from office by a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2022.

He is the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, one of the country’s major political parties.

The PTA report said the authority first wrote to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Aug. 21, 2022, seeking the closure of Khan’s account. The platform rejected the request.

The regulator contacted X again on April 18, 2024, citing convictions and sentences in the Toshakhana, Cipher and Iddat cases, and asked that Khan’s account be blocked. X again declined to comply, according to the report.

On Nov. 27, 2025, the PTA wrote to X seeking the blocking of 47 tweets posted from the former prime minister’s account. X blocked one tweet and rejected the remainder of the request, the report said.

Overall, the PTA said it wrote to X three times during the period, but the platform largely refused to act on Pakistan’s requests.

The report also highlighted broader regulatory concerns between Pakistan and global social media companies.

The PTA said it had asked social media firms to register with the authority in Pakistan and appoint local legal or contact persons.

According to the PTA, social media companies neither registered with the authority nor appointed any focal or legal representatives in the country.

The regulator told the court that social media companies are registered in their home countries and do not consider themselves bound by the laws of other states.

As a result, the PTA said, platforms assess complaints and takedown requests from foreign governments, including Pakistan, under their own internal policies and legal frameworks rather than local regulations.

The PTA’s detailed report on its attempts to block the PTI founder’s X account has been formally submitted to the Islamabad High Court, where the matter is under consideration.

The case stems from a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court in September 2025 challenging alleged inflammatory content posted from Khan’s official X account during his incarceration.

The petition was filed by citizen Ghulam Murtaza Khan through his counsel, Barrister Zafarullah Khan Advocate.

It argues that the circulation of what it describes as “provocative and malicious” material from the account of a convicted prisoner is unlawful and violates prison regulations.

The petitioner asked the court to direct the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency and the PTA to conduct a comprehensive inquiry to determine who is managing and operating the account while Khan remains in custody.

The petition also sought court orders for blocking and removing such content from social media platforms.

It further requested directions to the jail superintendent to ensure the prisoner is not allowed to access or use social media in violation of jail rules, calling such activity “illegal and unconstitutional.”

In response, Adiala Jail authorities, in a written reply submitted last year, rejected claims that the X account was being operated from inside the jail.

The superintendent of Adiala Jail said Khan is kept under strict surveillance and does not have access to prohibited devices, “particularly mobile phones.”