PTI committee wants oversight of party's social media, seeks Imran's nod

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political committee has decided to take up the issue of the party’s official social media accounts being used irresponsibly against the Army and national interests with its founder, Imran Khan.

Sources within PTI revealed that the matter was recently discussed in a political committee meeting held in KP House, Islamabad, where concerns were raised over aggressive and unregulated content posted from the party’s official social media platforms.

It was agreed that senior party leaders would meet Imran Khan in jail to persuade him to implement oversight mechanisms to prevent misuse of these platforms, including those linked directly to him.

According to insiders, Imran Khan will be advised to form a committee comprising key PTI leaders to vet all content before it is posted on the party’s official accounts, including “X” (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. The primary objective of this proposal is to curb the influence of overseas individuals allegedly using these accounts for anti-military campaigns and posts that could damage Pakistan’s interests.

Although Imran Khan has previously defended these social media accounts, internal discontent over their usage has been growing. Several senior leaders have privately voiced concerns about the reckless messaging emanating from PTI’s digital platforms, but this is the first time the party’s political committee has formally taken up the issue.

In the past, individual PTI leaders urged Khan to reassess the party’s social media policies, but he never took action against those accused of misusing these platforms from abroad. One senior party source stated that nearly all top PTI leaders — including Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, Salman Akram Raja, Shibli Faraz, Junaid Akbar, Raoof Hasan, Amir Dogar, Hafiz Farhat, Asad Qaiser attended the KP House Islamabad meeting and agreed that stricter controls are necessary.

The issue was deliberated before the recent terrorist attack in Balochistan, allegedly amplified by PTI’s social media. Some of the party’s verified accounts have been accused of sharing propaganda that aligned with the narratives of militants involved in the train hijacking.

PTI’s senior leadership have no control over the party’s social media apparatus, which is reportedly managed from overseas. Even current PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Secretary General Suleman Akram Raja, and Information Secretary Waqas Akram Shaikh have no influence over the content being posted. Efforts to engage PTI’s US chapter to curb controversial narratives have reportedly been ignored in the past.

There are complaints among the party leaders that the PTI’s official accounts ignore many of their statements and press conferences but focus on the posts and statements of some YouTubers sitting abroad.

Such is the pressure from PTI’s social media and select diaspora groups that party leaders hesitate to contradict propaganda, even when it is false or exaggerated. Many believe that only Imran Khan can bring the party’s digital platforms under structured editorial control. However, past attempts to convince him have been unsuccessful, as he has consistently praised and endorsed the content disseminated by PTI’s official social media accounts.