X and YouTube acted on only a small share of Pakistan content requests, according to figures Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi gave to the National Assembly in a written reply.
Naqvi said social media companies complied with 23.7 per cent of requests from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). They complied with 47.1 per cent of requests from provincial Counter-Terrorism Departments (CTDs).
The platform figures were far lower for two major services. X complied with 7.4 per cent of requests, while YouTube complied with 1.9 per cent. Facebook complied with 38.1 per cent, according to Arab News, which reported the same parliamentary reply in fuller detail.
Naqvi acknowledged that efforts to curb extremist content online had not received enough attention. He gave the figures in answer to questions from lawmaker Syeda Shehla Raza.
Pakistan content requests: what the figures do not show
The percentages need careful reading. The parliamentary reply did not state the reporting period for the figures. It did not state the total number of requests behind each percentage. It also did not state whether all the material concerned extremist content.
The reply also did not explain why particular requests were not acted on. It did not include the companies’ own responses. Readers should therefore treat the percentages as a government account of compliance, not as a full picture of every request and every refusal.
One provincial pattern stood out. Punjab accounted for 97.7 per cent of requests submitted by CTDs. Sindh and Balochistan recorded no compliance despite making requests, according to the reply.
Gaps inside Pakistan’s own system
The reply also pointed to weaknesses on Pakistan’s side. Federal and provincial authorities lacked a systematic, coordinated mechanism to respond to online threats, it said.
Security agencies and open-source intelligence units faced a shortage of trained analysts. They also lacked the capacity to monitor online activity around the clock.
The reply described a “data-to-intelligence gap”. That gap stopped online information from being turned into actionable intelligence, it said. Conviction rates in cybercrime and illegal SIM cases remained very low.
The Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, set up under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Amendment Act 2025, was not yet fully operational. Once it functions, it would take charge of social media regulation, including platform registration and content oversight. The PTA would keep a content-blocking role.
Naqvi called for faster operationalisation of the authority. He also proposed binding compliance arrangements with platforms and penalties, including bans, for companies that failed to comply with Pakistani law. The reply gave no timetable for these steps, and it did not announce an imminent platform ban.
He also proposed automated monitoring, a shared intelligence repository, forensic laboratories and specialist training.
The wider counterterrorism picture
The same reply covered the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA). NACTA coordinates policy but has no investigative, arrest or enforcement powers.
NACTA sought more than Rs2.98 billion for fiscal year 2026-27. It received about Rs1.33 billion for the current year, less than half the amount sought. The government plans to turn NACTA into a National Counter Terrorism Division, though the reply did not explain what legal changes that would need.
Naqvi also reported 5,143 intelligence-based operations between January 1 and September 29, 2026. Those operations killed 2,410 people described as terrorists, injured 806 and led to 3,518 arrests. The operations were carried out under the National Action Plan. Arab News noted that the figures were government-reported and could not be independently verified.
The online extremism issue sits inside that wider picture. The Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies reported this month that the Pakistani Taliban intensified its activity during July to September, using media productions to project influence beyond its usual strongholds.
Pakistan has expanded its online regulation powers, while rights groups have warned that broad wording could also hit journalists and critics.
The balance between targeting violent extremism and protecting lawful speech remains the test for the government.
Feature Pakistan earlier reported on a Rawalpindi cybercrime network targeting Malaysians, on the Islamabad model jail transfer plan and on nine people killed in Balochistan operations.
Frequently asked questions
How many Pakistan content requests did X comply with?
X complied with 7.4 per cent of requests, according to the parliamentary reply.
What was YouTube’s compliance rate?
YouTube complied with 1.9 per cent of requests, the lowest platform rate reported.
What was Facebook’s compliance rate?
Facebook complied with 38.1 per cent of requests, according to Arab News.
