ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry on Wednesday called for enhanced cooperation with Google to promote a safe and peaceful digital environment in Pakistan, stressing the need for proactive monitoring of social media in view of the country’s security challenges.
He was speaking during a meeting with a Google delegation, led by Senior Director David Weller. Google Pakistan representative Dr Kyle Gardner was part of the delegation.
They discussed digital security, effective use of social media against terrorism, timely removal of online content, and mutual cooperation. “Pakistan wants to further increase cooperation and coordination with Google for a safe and peaceful digital environment,” the state minister said.
He noted Pakistan’s geographical location was different from other countries, and digital platforms would have to take into account Pakistan’s specific circumstances.
“Terrorists use social media for the promotion of terrorism and to spread fear,” the minister said, adding that “proactive monitoring of social media is indispensable in view of Pakistan’s situation”.
The senior director of Google assured that the company would continue to cooperate with the government for a secure digital environment in Pakistan.
The interaction comes amid government efforts to strengthen coordination with global tech platforms on content regulation, cyber security and countering online extremism.
Senior officials of the Social Media Protection and Regulation Authority, including M. Saad Ali and Salman Zafar; DG National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Khurram Ali; and Joint Secretary Ministry of Interior Malik Sanaullah also attended the meeting.
Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2026
