ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry on Monday alleged that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) hired foreign companies to run paid social media campaigns aimed at spreading selective narratives and propaganda against Pakistan.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Chaudhry said these companies created fake social media accounts, many posing as women or news organisations, and operated them from outside the country. He claimed the accounts were used to promote hashtags and trends in exchange for money, misleading the public into believing the campaigns were organic.
The minister said the evidence was based on documents provided by X, formerly Twitter, and shared a video explaining how the alleged operation worked. According to him, the companies were hired through auctions and paid using PTI’s foreign funding. Most of the accounts, he added, were run from countries considered hostile to Pakistan, and the people handling them were neither PTI workers nor Pakistani citizens.
Explaining the process, Chaudhry said the companies frequently changed account names to avoid detection. They also created WhatsApp groups to share instructions for launching trends, which were later deleted to erase digital traces. New groups were then formed with new participants to continue the activity.
He said a single message could be retweeted between 50 and 500 times, with payments ranging from a few rupees to a few cents per tweet. “The money trail is difficult to trace,” he said, adding that payments were made in dollars.
Chaudhry further claimed that some of these same accounts were also involved in promoting trends linked to banned outfits such as the TTP and BLA, as well as pro-Israel narratives. He said social media platforms had already taken action against several accounts for violating their policies.
Despite having what he described as “substantial information” about those involved, the minister said the government did not want to initiate criminal or legal proceedings at this stage. Instead, he warned individuals against participating in trends that harm national interests for financial gain.
Responding to questions, Chaudhry said PTI leaders deny responsibility and claim the trends are organic. “However, we have evidence that real people are rarely involved,” he said.
He added that most of the accounts were fake and that social media companies do not share IP addresses or user details due to privacy laws. The government, he said, has engaged with social media platforms and may also contact the countries from where these accounts were operated.
Drawing a comparison with other nations, Chaudhry said many countries around the world regulate or even block social media platforms at times to protect their national interests.
