The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has written to social media platform X on three occasions over the past three and a half years, seeking the closure of an account operating in the name of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, but received no response, according to a report submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Read More: IHC to hear case seeking closure of Imran’s X account on Jan 21
The disclosure emerged on Thursday in a PTA report and placed before the IHC in connection with a petition concerning alleged “inflammatory posts” shared from an X account attributed to the incarcerated former prime minister.
According to the report, the first request was sent to X on August 21, 2022, but the authority did not receive any reply. A second request was submitted via email on April 18, 2024, seeking the blocking of Imran Khan’s account. This communication cited relevant court orders, as well as details of his convictions and sentences in the Toshakhana, cipher and unlawful marriage cases. The PTA said X again failed to respond.
The third request was made on November 27, 2025, when the PTA asked X to block 47 specific tweets from the account. Of those, the platform blocked only one tweet, the report said.
حکومت نے عمران خان کا اکائونٹ بند کرانے کیلئے کب کب ٹویٹر سے التجا کی۔۔!!
21 اگست 2022
18 اپریل 2024
27 نومبر 2025ٹویٹر نے اکائونٹ بند کرنے کی درخواست اُڑا دی۔۔!!
شکریہ ایکس @X ٹیم ۔ آپ @X کبھی ان کی درخواست پر عمل نہں نہیں کرنا ۔ pic.twitter.com/nLq6vvOP7R— Muhammad Ayyaz 🇵🇰 (@AyazKhadim) January 22, 2026
The PTA also highlighted broader regulatory challenges, noting that over-the-top (OTT) services operating in Pakistan were not formally regulated, as they were registered in their countries of origin and not necessarily bound by local jurisdiction. While social media platforms provide complaint mechanisms, selective blocking of content is difficult due to secure communication channels, the authority added, though full access to such services could be restricted on a “best effort” basis.
ایکس (ٹوئٹر) کا حکومت کی جانب سے عمران خان کا اکاؤنٹ بند کرنے پر Absolutely Not
گزشتہ ساڑھے 3 سال میں 3 دفعہ پی ٹی اے نے ایکس کو لکھا لیکن ایکس نے درخواست مسترد کر دی pic.twitter.com/wIgeXIi5bD
— Rizwan Ghilzai (Remembering Arshad Sharif) (@rizwanghilzai) January 22, 2026
The report further noted that in October 2021, the PTA had asked social media companies to register locally and appoint grievance officers under existing rules, but received no affirmative responses.
Read More: IHC to hear petition suspension of Imran Khan’s X account
During proceedings on Wednesday, the IHC termed the PTA’s response unsatisfactory and raised concerns over restricted access between Imran Khan and his legal counsel. Jail authorities have previously denied that the X account was operated from within prison.