QUETTA: Opposition and treasury members of the Balochistan Assembly on Tuesday demanded action against a social media platform, alleging that it was invo­l­ved in the character assassination of members of the assembly on what they des­cribed as baseless corruption allegations.

The issue was raised by Leader of the Opposition Mir Younas Aziz Zehri on a point of objection soon after the assembly session began. The sitting was presided over by Speaker Abdul Khaliq Achakzai.

Taking the floor, members said that for the last few days propaganda had been carried out against the assembly through the ‘Balochistan Leaks’ social media page, based on what they termed unfounded allegations of corruption.

“Through wrong information and fake news, the handlers of social media are carrying out character assassination and defaming the reputation of MPAs and politicians through a well-planned conspiracy,” Mr Zehri told the House.

He demanded that the government take serious notice of the situation, order a probe and punish those responsible. He said he wanted to convey to those behind the campaign that they would not succeed in their designs and called for the issue to be investigated through the cybercrime agency.

Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, while speaking on the floor of the house, said he had been saying from the very first day that social media published whatever it wanted. He suggested that a committee be constituted to carry out an impartial inquiry into the allegations.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2025