Pakistan Moves to Ban Imran Khan’s X Account for “Treason” on Birthday
Government targets jailed ex-PM’s account as PTI rallies for his 73rd birthday.
As Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan marked his 73rd birthday behind bars, the Shehbaz Sharif government dropped a bombshell, announcing plans to block his X account for spewing “anti-state” content targeting the military and state institutions. The move, decried by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as a brazen assault on free speech, ignited fiery birthday rallies across Lahore, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and beyond, with supporters hailing the jailed cricket icon as an unyielding symbol of resistance after 790 days in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
Federal State Minister for Law Barrister Aqeel Malik revealed the crackdown in a TV interview, confirming that authorities have formally requested X’s management to shutter Khan’s account, which boasts 20 million followers and regularly blasts Army Chief Gen Asim Munir. “We’re probing who’s running his account and pumping out anti-army vitriol,” Malik declared, vowing to unmask the “network” behind posts comparing Munir’s tactics to Gen Yahya Khan’s role in the 1971 Dhaka debacle. Last month, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) grilled Khan in his cell, demanding details on his account’s handlers, but the defiant ex-PM stonewalled, refusing to answer. “I’m interrogated for speaking truth—on Afghanistan, foreign policy, psychological torture,” Khan fired back in a recent X post, framing his detention as a vendetta for his outspokenness.
The government’s move has sparked a firestorm. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif upped the ante, alleging India is orchestrating Khan’s X narrative—a claim PTI’s Moonis Elahi torched as “irresponsible nonsense” meant to paint dissent as a foreign plot. “Asif’s deflecting from Pakistan’s crumbling economy and rigged elections,” Elahi roared, pointing to 9% inflation and a 2024 GDP growth limp at 2.4%. PTI’s birthday bash for Khan doubled as a protest, with thousands rallying outside his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, slicing a massive cake under the watchful eyes of riot police who blocked any march to his home. Leaders like Salman Akram Raja and Rehaba Dar led chants of “Release Imran!” while Kasim Khan, his son, posted a gut-punch on X: “Dad’s in a death cell—790 days without us, yet his spirit’s unbreakable.”
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From Peshawar to Karachi, PTI’s rallies pulsed with defiance, waving banners demanding Khan’s freedom and an end to what they call a “military-orchestrated coup” against the party. In Gilgit-Baltistan and PoK, candlelit vigils mourned Khan’s 2023 arrest on graft charges, widely seen as politically motivated after his ouster via a no-confidence vote. With 180 cases—ranging from corruption to inciting violence—Khan’s jail stint has made him a martyr figure, his X posts (penned by aides, per insiders) rallying a youth-heavy base. Hashtag #ImranAt73 trended with 1.5 million posts, blending cake-cutting clips with jail-cell sketches captioned “Our lion roars on.”
The X ban bid isn’t Pakistan’s first digital clampdown—2024 saw WhatsApp throttled during PTI protests—but it’s the boldest, risking backlash in a nation where 70% of 240 million own smartphones. X’s refusal to comply could escalate to a nationwide platform blackout, a tactic used in February’s election chaos. Critics warn the move hands ammo to Khan’s narrative of a “fascist state,” while supporters like Elahi call his sacrifices “a debt the nation owes.” As Khan endures in a 10x12 cell, his legal team preps Supreme Court pleas, and PTI vows street agitations. With Pakistan’s economy teetering and elections looming by 2027, this birthday battle signals a deeper war: Khan’s voice versus a state bent on silencing it. Will X bend, or will Pakistan’s digital rebellion ignite? The candles are lit, but the fight’s just begun.
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