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
Pakistan police say 27 cops killed in 134 attacks in restive Bannu district in 2025
- Bannu is a restive district in northwestern Pakistan where militants frequently attack law enforcers
- Police say at least 20 drone attacks by militants killed nine civilians, injured 19 cops during the year
PESHAWAR: Police in Pakistan’s northwestern Bannu district said this week that at least 27 police personnel were killed in 134 attacks while 53 militants were killed during various security operations in the volatile area during the year, as Islamabad grapples with a surge in militancy.
Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province is one of Pakistan’s most dangerous districts, where militants affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) frequently target law enforcers in attacks.
Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan told reporters during a press briefing on Wednesday that at least 134 “terrorist attacks” were recorded in Bannu district during 2025 that targeted police stations, posts, checkpoints, police mobiles and police parties.
“As a result of these attacks, 27 police personnel were martyred and 79 were injured,” a statement issued by Bannu Police said on Wednesday.
It said at least 168 intelligence-based operations were conducted by police across the district during the year, in which 105 militants were arrested and 65 were killed.
Khan informed media that militants carried out 20 drone attacks targeting police installations and civilian areas in 2025, killing nine civilians and injuring 19 police personnel.
“However, following the installation of an anti-drone system in Bannu district on Jul. 18, 2025, the situation improved significantly,” the statement said. “More than 300 drone attacks were thwarted, and four drones were struck/spoofed.”
He said the Bannu police force has been equipped with drones, anti-drone guns, sniper rifles, armored personnel carriers (APCs), thermal imaging systems, tactical helmets and bulletproof vehicles.
“Bannu police reiterates its resolve to continue its struggle to maintain law and order in the district, completely eliminate terrorism and protect the lives and property of the public,” the statement concluded.
Pakistan blames the Afghan government for facilitating TTP attacks inside its territory, a charge Kabul denies. The surge in militant attacks has strained ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan, leading to deadly border clashes in October that saw dozens killed and several wounded on both sides.
