Javed Iqbal
With the advancement of information technology, the dynamics of life have completely changed, and the media and narrative domain are no exception. Wars are now being fought on two fronts: physical and ideological. Alongside traditional forms of propaganda, tweets, hashtags, Facebook posts, vlogs, and other social media content have emerged as new challenges to a country’s ideological frontiers. A state must protect its ideological borders to safeguard its citizens from cyberattacks aimed at polluting the minds of its populace, particularly the youth.
The latest case in point is the arrest of Dr Usman Qazai, facilitator of BLA, on which social media accounts of BLA presented Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan Qazi as a respected academic and intellectual, claiming he is a victim of state oppression. However, the following facts are deeply disturbing:
(a) Over the past 4 to 5 years, Usman Qazi was not merely a university professor. He was a key operative and handler for the proscribed organisation BLA-A (Balochistan Liberation Army-Aslam Achu) and its suicide wing, the Majeed Brigade.
(b) Behind the scenes, he was using the platform of BUITEMS University to incite and recruit young students towards extremism.
(c) All of this happened despite the fact that his entire academic life was completed at the state’s expense. He received his higher education on a government scholarship, did his PhD from QAU (Quaid-i-Azam University), and secured a Grade 19 government post. His wife is also a government employee at Grade 17. He and his family were fully enjoying the state facilities.
(d) Despite this, Qazi betrayed the state. He joined terrorist groups, facilitated attacks, and supported networks that have harmed innocent people and security forces.
(e) It has been proven that he sent the terrorist Babar Rafiq to carry out the suicide attack on November 9, 2024, at the Quetta Railway Station, which resulted in the martyrdom of 32 ordinary citizens and 22 security personnel, while more than 55 were injured.
(f) And this is not the end of it; he was preparing for another attack in Quetta on August 14 to provide shelter to the terrorist Sher Dil (Bahawaluddin Mari) and evade action by the forces. Social media groups associated with the BLA on social media are trying to portray him as the “intellectual voice of the people.
In the absence of strict rules and regulations, social media platforms become soft targets for anti-state elements seeking to advance their agendas. Cybercrimes and the misuse of social media platforms are global issues, and many countries have adopted strict measures to secure their ideological boundaries. Pakistan currently ranks 46th in terms of cybercrime. While the advancement of information technology is truly a miracle of the modern century, its most negative aspect remains the lack of strong preventive measures to deny space to anti-state elements. No state can allow terrorists to exploit social media unchecked. Terrorist groups and their handlers have intensified their anti-Pakistan campaigns, entrenching themselves in the digital space by glorifying violence, recruiting members, spreading fear, and circulating attack footage.
In a decisive move against online terrorism, Pakistan has launched a sweeping campaign to report and block hundreds of terrorist-operated social media accounts across multiple global platforms, while calling on the international community to match its resolve in combating extremist propaganda. Alongside the formation of lawfare, the government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy, which includes the formal reporting of terrorist accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Telegram, and WhatsApp for suspension and data acquisition.
A detailed study revealed that more than 850 accounts linked to proscribed groups, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), were reported to platform operators by the National Cybercrime Investigative Agency. Of these, 533 accounts, with a combined following of over 2 million users, have already been blocked, while the remaining await platform action.
Unless social media companies establish strict controls, their platforms will remain tools in the hands of terrorists and will continue to pose a persistent threat.
The Government of Pakistan has called on all social media and messaging platforms to: a) permanently suspend all terrorist-linked accounts.
b) Deploy robust AI algorithms to automatically detect and delete extremist content before it spreads. c) Establish dedicated, real-time coordination channels with Pakistan’s regulators and security agencies for rapid and effective action. This includes binding accountability for platforms, enhanced intelligence sharing, and coordinated regulatory enforcement to ensure that groups like TTP, BLA, and BLF are denied the “digital oxygen” they rely on to survive.
Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies, cybercrime units, and regulators have reaffirmed their unwavering resolve to shut down terrorist propaganda channels both at home and abroad through persistent monitoring, rapid takedowns, and strategic engagement with technology companies.
Given the persistent threat of digital terrorism, it is high time for global powers, particularly those states where these platforms are headquartered, to uphold their counterterrorism obligations and cooperate under UN Security Council mandates and bilateral frameworks to deny terrorists the space, physical or digital, to spread their poison.
The writer is a freelance columnist and contributes regularly on issues concerning national security.
