Twitter Must Open Office in Pakistan or Face Complete Ban, Says Minister Hafeez Ur Rehman

Islamabad: Minister of State Hafeez Ur Rehman has warned that social media platform X (formerly Twitter) could be completely blocked in Pakistan if it fails to open a local office and register with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). He added that in such a scenario, even access via VPNs would not be allowed.

Speaking on a private news channel, Hafeez Ur Rehman stated that the government is considering strict action if Twitter does not comply with Pakistani laws. “If Twitter does not follow our regulations, we will have no choice but to ban, restrict, or shut down the platform,” he said.

The minister emphasized that if Twitter wishes to continue business in Pakistan, it must establish a local office and register with the PTA. Otherwise, it will face consequences similar to platforms that have been blocked in countries like China. He warned that in the event of a ban, even VPN access would be ineffective, resulting in complete inaccessibility of the platform in Pakistan.

ٹوئٹر (ایکس) نے اپنا دفتر پاکستان میں نہ کھولا تو پھر اس کو بلاک کیا جاسکتا ہے اور پھر یہ وی پی این پر بھی نہیں چلے گا، حذیفہ رحمان pic.twitter.com/zMOJ6QtTCT

— Zubair Ali Khan (@ZubairAlikhanUN) December 16, 2025