By Irum Saleem
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, already under scathing criticism from opposition leaders, has alleged that India is actively managing and shaping the social media presence of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on platform X (formerly Twitter).
Khawaja Asif said the narratives being pushed through Imran Khan’s account are a mirror image of India’s propaganda toolkit: undermining Pakistan’s armed forces, creating distrust against national institutions, and exploiting political rifts for destabilization. “These aren’t random tweets,” he remarked, “this is a coordinated strategy originating across the border.”
However, his remarks triggered an avalanche of criticism. Political opponents accused him of deflecting from the government’s failures by dragging India into the debate.
PTI senior leader and former Federal minister Moonis Elahi lashed out, saying that Khawaja Asif was “crucifying himself with baseless claims” and trying to “paint every domestic failure as a foreign conspiracy.”
Mr Moonis said instead of addressing inflation, governance crises, and public discontent, the defence minister had resorted to blaming external forces for the government’s political troubles.
Moonis Elahi branded Asif’s comments as “irresponsible,” “a desperate attempt to silence dissent,” and “an insult to the intelligence of the Pakistani people.”
Social media backlash was equally fierce, with many users mocking the Defence Minister for “seeing Indian hands everywhere” and questioning why the government was unable to present verifiable proof.
Khawaja Asif, responding to these crucifixion-style attacks, said that criticism would not silence him: “Those who ridicule my words need to ask themselves who benefits from Imran Khan’s online propaganda. It is India that gains the most from weakening Pakistan’s unity.”
He insisted that intelligence and cybercrime authorities are gathering evidence, which will be presented to the public to unmask India’s role.
The Defence Minister concluded that, despite political opposition and harsh personal attacks, he would continue exposing hostile foreign designs, saying: “Pakistan cannot afford to be naïve. Recognizing the enemy’s digital tactics is the first step to protecting our sovereignty.”
