ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has written to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on three separate occasions over the past three and a half years, seeking the closure or blocking of an account operating in the name of PTI founder Imran Khan, but received little to no response, it emerged on Thursday.
The details were disclosed in a PTA report submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and seen by Dawn, in connection with a petition concerning alleged “inflammatory posts” made from the X account while the former prime minister remains incarcerated.
According to the report, PTA first approached X on August 21, 2022, requesting action against the account. However, the authority said it did not receive any response from the platform.
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A second request was sent on April 18, 2024, via email, seeking the blocking of the account. PTA stated that this communication included references to relevant court orders as well as details of Imran Khan’s convictions and sentences in the Toshakhana, cipher and unlawful marriage cases, amounting to 14, 10 and seven years respectively. Despite the detailed submission, the report said X again failed to respond.
The third communication was sent on November 27, 2025, when PTA requested the blocking of 47 specific tweets from the account. According to the authority, X blocked only one of the flagged posts, leaving the remaining content accessible.
In its report, PTA also highlighted broader regulatory challenges associated with over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as X. It noted that these services are registered in their countries of origin and are not directly regulated in Pakistan, nor are they necessarily bound by the jurisdiction from which users access content.
Addressing Raja, Justice Tahir said that “final arguments in the case will be presented on February 24 if you meet (Imran)”. https://t.co/Rpnzpo9ZrJ
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) January 21, 2026
While social media platforms provide official channels for user and regulator complaints, PTA said selective blocking of content is often not technically feasible due to the use of secure communication channels. “Complete access to their services can be revoked on a best-effort basis,” the authority added, but acknowledged the limitations of such measures.
The report further revealed that in October 2021, PTA had formally requested social media companies to comply with Section 7(6) of the Blocking of Unlawful Online Content Rules by registering with the authority and appointing local compliance and grievance officers. “No affirmative response has been received to date,” it stated.
The disclosure came a day after the IHC questioned how proceedings in the case could continue if Imran Khan’s legal counsel was being denied access to him. During the hearing, the court also termed PTA’s earlier response “unsatisfactory.”
The petition, filed in September last year, seeks an investigation into who has been operating Imran Khan’s X account during his imprisonment. Jail authorities have previously denied that the account is being operated from within Adiala Jail, maintaining that the PTI founder has no access to mobile phones or prohibited devices.
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