ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ministry of economic affairs said on Friday that its X account had been hacked after a post was published on it appealing to international partners for more loans, amid a growing conflict with India.
Tensions between the two neighbors over an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam escalated into a limited-scale military conflict, when India struck on Wednesday multiple locations in Pakistan after New Delhi blamed the assault on Pakistan. Islamabad has denied involvement.
Pakistan has claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets and 29 Israeli-manufactured Harop drones, launched from India, in retaliation to Indian missile and drone strikes this week. India said it had destroyed an air defense system in Lahore in response to a Pakistani air attack.
It was not possible to immediately verify all of the claims made by both countries. The two arch-rivals have also accused each other of cyberattacks on their critical digital assets and infrastructure in times of peace, and Indian media reported that Indian defense websites had come under attack after the Pahalgam attack.
“We are working to have the Twitter (X) switched off,” the Pakistani economic ministry told Reuters, adding that they “did not tweet” about it.
Meanwhile, New Delhi ordered X to block over 8,000 accounts in India, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company’s local employees.
“The orders include demands to block access in India to accounts belonging to international news organizations and prominent X users,” X’s Global Government Affairs team said on its account, adding it was unable to publish the executive orders at this time due to “legal restrictions.”
“The Indian government has not specified which posts from an account have violated India’s local laws. For a significant number of accounts, we did not receive any evidence or justification to block the accounts.”
The platform said it disagreed with the Indian government’s demands, describing the blockade of accounts as “contrary to the fundamental right of free speech.”
“X is exploring all possible legal avenues available to the company,” it said. “We encourage all users who are impacted by these blocking orders to seek appropriate relief from the courts.”
Pakistan says economic affairs ministry’s X account hacked amid conflict with India
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Pakistan says economic affairs ministry’s X account hacked amid conflict with India
- Tensions between the two neighbors have escalated into a limited-scale military conflict since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan
- Both neighbors have since fired and sent drones and missiles into each other’s airspace, leaving around four dozen people dead on both sides
Islamabad questions growing India, Afghanistan engagement amid militancy surge in Pakistan
- Afghan ministers visited India in October and December last year amid Kabul’s strained ties with Islamabad
- Islamabad accuses India of supporting militant groups based in Afghanistan who launch attacks against Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Monday questioned growing engagement between officials from India and Afghanistan, vowing Islamabad would eliminate “terrorism” from the country as it reels from a surge in militancy.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi in October last year, marking the first official visit by a Taliban leader to the country since 2021 where he was accorded a warm welcome. In December 2025, Afghanistan’s Public Health Minister Noor Jalal Jalali arrived in India.
These visits took place amid growing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad frequently accuses India of supporting militant groups who carry out attacks in Pakistan, especially in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and southwestern Balochistan provinces. Pakistan also alleges these militant groups use Afghan territory to launch attacks against it. New Delhi and Kabul both deny Pakistan’s allegations.
“You can see the Afghan government [officials] every other day go to India and hold negotiations there,” Tarar said during a news conference. “What negotiations are these? What trade do you have with them? What areas of mutual cooperation are there that require such extensive consultations?”
The minister said the militants who were carrying out attacks in Pakistan want to destabilize the country, accusing them of following a “foreign-funded agenda.”
“What Islam is this, that you take funds from India and conduct blasts here,” he questioned.
Tarar said the nation remains united in defeating “terrorism,” adding that the government will battle militancy in all its forms.
“Not only will we counter their narrative, we will also ensure that every Pakistani citizen feels safe,” he added.
The development takes place as Pakistan grapples with surging militancy. Pakistan military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told reporters during a media briefing last week that the country witnessed 5,397 militant incidents in 2025.
KP province accounted for 3,811 attacks while 1,557 incidents were reported in Balochistan, he said. The military spokesperson said security forces carried out 75,175 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in the country last year, killing 2,597 militants.
“The past year was a landmark and consequential one in the war against terrorism,” he said.
