Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulates Donald Trump on X and is noted by the community

New Delhi:

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Donald Trump on his “historic victory” and securing a second term as US president. However, the message posted on X (formerly Twitter) was a faux pas – after all, Sharif’s government has imposed a nationwide ban on the platform.

Sharif’s post, which wished Trump well and expressed his desire to “strengthen and expand the Pakistan-US partnership,” was immediately tagged with a community note. The note pointed out that the Prime Minister of Pakistan is actually accessing the platform via a VPN, which is a violation of national regulations under Pakistan’s legal framework.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has banned X (formerly Twitter) in Pakistan. He is using a VPN to access X, which is illegal under Pakistani law,” the X Community Note reads.

Screenshot of Shehbaz Sharif’s post that received a community notice on X.

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry announced in April that despite the government’s official stance, Sharif and other officials appear to have found ways to circumvent the block using VPNs. In fact, many Pakistani leaders, including those from Sharif’s own party, have continued to use the platform freely, ignoring their own legal restrictions.

The ban itself has sparked controversy. Initially, the government raised concerns about the platform’s refusal to comply with local laws, including the controversial 2021 law entitled “Rules for the removal and blocking of unlawful online content.” The government also warned of “hostile elements” using social media to destabilize Pakistan. However, critics argue that the restriction is politically motivated, particularly in the wake of allegations of election manipulation.

Sharif’s own political rival, Imran Khan, has been one of the most vocal users of social media in Pakistan, particularly X, where his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has millions of followers. Khan, now in prison, claimed his ouster in 2022 was orchestrated by the military and that elections earlier this year were rigged to keep his party from power. Some suggest that the restriction of

Critics argue that by imposing the restriction, the Home Ministry overstepped its bounds and bypassed the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), which is the only authority empowered to regulate online content under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. The real motivation behind the ban is to force X to comply with local censorship requirements, as has been the case with other platforms such as YouTube and TikTok.